North Carolina Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill Heads to Senate Floor

A bill to legalize medical cannabis in North Carolina will head to the Senate floor next week.

The measure mimics a bill that cleared the Senate last year but was killed in the Republican-controlled House.

The Senate Rules Committee cleared the measure, the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act (Senate Bill 3), Feb. 25, following the judiciary and finance committees’ approvals earlier this week, AP News reported.

The measure would allow adults 21 years and older with a qualifying medical condition to purchase and consume cannabis from licensed dispensaries to treat symptoms. Some conditions written in the legislation include cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, Chron’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Chronic pain is not listed.

Adults would have to obtain a state medical cannabis identification card from a designated caregiver, according to the bill text.

Moreover, the legislation permits the Medical Cannabis Production Commission to award licenses to 10 entities to grow, process and sell cannabis. Each licensee could open eight dispensaries, called medical cannabis centers, and would have to pay 10% of their monthly revenues from cannabis and cannabis-infused sales to the state, according to the bill text.

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