Poll Reveals Roughly 8 in 10 North Carolinians Support Medical Cannabis Legislation

After a Senate-approved medical cannabis legalization bill languished in the North Carolina House the past two years in a row, a poll released this month reveals that roughly 8 in 10 North Carolinians support the legislative push to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.

A Meredith Poll, which surveyed 760 people Jan. 26-31, shows that 78% of respondents support the passage of medical cannabis legislation, while only 18% said they oppose legislative reform efforts.

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The North Carolina Senate approved a medical cannabis legalization bill in February 2023, marking the second consecutive year that lawmakers in the upper chamber signed off on a medical cannabis proposal.

Senate Bill 3, the NC Compassionate Care Act, cleared the Senate in a 36-10 vote but stalled in the House when House Speaker Tim Moore said opposition from Republicans in that chamber likely extinguished the medical cannabis legalization effort for the year.

Last year’s NC Compassionate Care Act, sponsored by Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick County, largely mirrors a medical cannabis legalization proposal Rabon backed in 2022 that also passed the Senate before Republicans voted against advancing it in the House.

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Rabon’s proposal would allow adults 21 and older with a qualifying medical condition and a state-issued medical cannabis identification card to purchase cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries. Some qualifying conditions outlined in last year’s NC Compassionate Care Act include cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, Crohn’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Last year’s bill would have established a Medical Cannabis Production Commission, which would have awarded licenses to 10 businesses to grow, process and sell cannabis to patients. Each licensee would have been able to open up to eight dispensaries, called medical cannabis centers.

While committee work is ongoing in Raleigh, North Carolina’s full legislative session is scheduled to begin April 24 and adjourn July 31, providing lawmakers roughly three months to consider and potentially pass medical cannabis legislation.