Yo, peeps! Check it out, there’s some big news in North Carolina. They were talkin’ ’bout legalizin’ medical marijuana, but it looks like the bill ain’t gonna make it this year. House Speaker Tim Moore was all like, “Nah, we ain’t got enough support from our Republican crew to pass it.” Apparently, the House Republicans got a rule that says a bill gotta have the support of a majority of their members before it can even be voted on. Even if the Democrats are down with it, it still ain’t gonna happen without enough Republicans on board.
Moore had a chat with his fellow Republicans, and he agreed with House Majority Leader John Bell who said there ain’t enough support for the bill right now. But don’t lose hope, my friends! The folks who want medical marijuana legalized ain’t giving up. Democratic Senator Paul Lowe, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, said this thing ain’t dead yet. He’s been talkin’ to Moore and other Republican leaders, and he’s feelin’ pretty good about it. He thinks some of those Republican peeps might change their minds and come around to supportin’ the bill. Lowe ain’t droppin’ any names though, ’cause he don’t wanna mess things up.
If they can’t get it done this year, Lowe says they’ll try again next year during the short session. He’s feelin’ confident about it. So keep your hopes up, y’all!
Now let’s talk about this bill they tryna pass. It’s called the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, Senate Bill 3 if you wanna get technical. It was filed back in January by Republican Senators Bill Rabon and Michael Lee, along with Democrat Paul Lowe. If this thing passes, it would make medical marijuana legal for peeps with certain serious medical conditions like cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and more. It ain’t about recreational use, though. The goal is to protect patients and doctors from gettin’ in trouble with the law.
Under this bill, patients with qualifying conditions would be able to use medical cannabis. They could smoke it or vape it as long as their doctor recommends it. The bill says doctors gotta check up on their patients every year to make sure they still need the medical marijuana. And if you wanna be part of the program, you gotta get a special ID card from the state. The Department of Health and Human Services would keep a database with info on patients, caregivers, and doctors.
The bill already made it through the Senate back in March with a whole lotta support from both sides. But then it went to the House and things kinda stalled out. Last month, Rabon tried to get things movin’ by attachin’ an amendment to another bill that the Republicans like. The amendment said they couldn’t pass that bill until they dealt with the medical marijuana bill. The Senate was cool with it, but now it’s sittin’ in the House waitin’ for something to happen.
State Senator Julie Mayfield, who wants to legalize recreational marijuana for adults, thinks the medical marijuana bill should definitely get a vote in the House. She said it’s about time North Carolina joins the rest of the country and lets people use cannabis for medical purposes. She’s callin’ on Speaker Moore to let democracy do its thing.
So there you have it, my friends. The medical marijuana bill might not make it this year, but there’s still hope for next year. Keep fightin’ for what you believe in and maybe one day we’ll see some changes in North Carolina’s cannabis laws. Stay lifted!
