Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Ten of those states allow for recreational marijuana, and the Illinois House just passed a recreational marijuana bill set to go into effect in 2020. New Jersey and New York are considering recreational-cannabis bills, and the Ohio legislature is seriously considering putting the issue up for voter referendum in 2019. Arizona and Florida are not too far behind.
Where does North Carolina stand in the Cannabis Revolution?
Short answer: Somewhere near the back of the pack.
Cannabis bills have been floated in the NC General Assembly for a couple decades now, but this session, one — SB 168 — has made it through the Senate and now, after passing its first reading in the House, waits in committee to see if it will make it through.
SB 168 concerns only cannabis extract, or CBD — less than 1 percent THC, which is the stuff that gets you high — and allows it only in cases of: “intractable epilepsy… autism, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, mitochondrial disease, or a medical condition diagnosed by a neurologist for which currently available treatment options have been ineffective.”
It’s not much, but right now it’s all we’ve got. And at least the NC General Assembly has learned to differentiate between hemp and cannabis… sort of.
There’s an agricultural bill that’s making its way through the chambers that allows for more farmers to be licensed to grow industrial hemp, as long as they have no drug charges in the last 10 years.
For hemp — which, we remind, is not an intoxicant.
But together they may represent a proverbial crack in the windshield.
When North Carolina joins the Cannabis Revolution, it will bring with it not only a fairly robust consumer market, but also an industrial-grade farming apparatus along with a manufacturing and distribution powerhouse.
Make no mistake: There are former tobacco farmers all over the state who are ready to go. RJR already has the facilities in place to mass-produce a smokable product. And it’s unlikely anything could move forward without including these interests in the plan.
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NC politicians are too corrupt to allow something great like this to become legal and help out it’s citizens in need. NC is one of the most backwards thinking states. It has almost become embarrassing to say that you live in North Carolina. We are in the minority now and have fallen behind in forward progress. North Carolina, First in flight, last in progress. Tillis is a big part as to why NC does not have a legal cannabis program in place. He has received campaign money to vote no on anything cannabis related and then continues to use the excuse that there is no medical evidence to sway his mind. HE NEVER LOOKS FOR ANY EVIDENCE!!! HUNDREDS of people have sent him accredited studies showing the medical benefits, but he keeps turning a blind eye and taking money from lobbyists working for industries who fear legal cannabis because it will hurt their profits. Every single “legal” medication is more deadly than cannabis. Tylenol, for example, has killed, on average, 500 people each year and sends up to 80,000 to the ER every year. Tylenol kills your liver. But yeah, keep demonizing a natural plant made by God himself…..
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Great information! Keep up the good work. Looking forward for more great content from you.
NC and SC are too busy taking bribes from big pharma to even consider legalizing cannabis.The funny part is there is a massive indoor marijuana farm in Kernersville that is legal..No its not hemp either.