North Carolina Lawmakers Advocate Medical Cannabis 1

North Carolina lawmakers seem serious about bringing medical cannabis to Tar Heel State with a bill that passed a major test on Wednesday.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee approved “bipartisan laws that create a patient, manufacturing, licensing and distribution structure …” for a medical marijuana program in North Carolina, the Associated Press reported this week.

The bill was passed by a majority, the Associated Press said.

The proposal would allow patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, HIV / AIDS, Crohn’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple sclerosis, among others, to receive a medical marijuana card in the state while a “special advisory board” would have the power to to add to the list of conditions, ”reported Associated Press.

The AP has further details on the proposal: “Qualified patients could purchase medicinal cannabis products for smoking or other purposes through 10 suppliers licensed by a new state commission. Any supplier would control the production of seedlings until they are sold in “medical cannabis centers” from which they are sold to the public. A change on Wednesday reduced the maximum number of sales outlets per licensee from eight to four. Suppliers would have to pay 10 percent of gross sales to the state every month. “

North Carolina lawmakers support change

The bill is sponsored by Senator Bill Rabon, a Republican who represents a district in the southeast corner of the state. Rabon is a cancer survivor and has cited his experience as a motivational factor in his political support.

“That moved me a lot because of my personal experience,” said Rabon, quoted by News & Observer. “Sometimes I find it difficult to talk to some people about it. But I’ll say the time has come. This needs to be discussed. We must compassionately care for our fellow human beings. “

The North Carolina General Assembly is Republican controlled, but along with the committee’s passing of the bill this week, there are signs that the bill may soon become law.

Kathy Harrington, the North Carolina Senate Majority Leader, cited her own personal experiences for her support for the legislation. According to the News & Observer, Harrington said that “her husband was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and has since realized that medical marijuana could help other patients in similar painful situations.”

“If you’d asked me six months ago if I would support this bill, I would have said no,” said Harrington, quoted by News & Observer. “But life is coming your way quickly.”

Political lockdown in North Carolina

But the proposal is not without its critics. Reverend Mark Creech, the leader of the Christian Action League, said medicinal cannabis is a gateway to recreational use.

“What this bill will mainly do is disguise an illegal mind-altering product as something good … and ultimately lead to the legalization of recreational marijuana,” Creech said, as quoted by News & Observer. “By passing the measure today, we are starting to open Pandora’s box.”

Despite the chilling madness, Creech couldn’t be that far off the mark. In April, North Carolina lawmakers passed bill setting “Registration and Licensing Requirements and Procedures for Operating Cannabis Facilities” and “The possession and use of cannabis for personal use by those aged 21 or over are old, within the legal ownership limit ”and instruct the“ Department of Public Safety (Department) to issue the registration of cannabis facilities and the annual renewal ”.

This proposal has not yet been implemented, but it could only be a matter of time. After all, legalization has already arrived in the south, Virginia officially lifted the ban this week.