Great news! Last week, the Senate Finance Committee advanced a bill that would allow patients to use and safely access medical cannabis if they have a qualifying debilitating medical condition. The committee first adopted an amendment to direct medical cannabis sales tax revenue to fund the medical cannabis supply system and a cannabis research program at the University of North Carolina.

Great news! Last month, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would allow patients to access cannabis if they have a “debilitating medical condition.” SB 711, sponsored by Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon (R), would also establish a Medical Cannabis Advisory Board and a Medical Cannabis Production Commission. The Medical Cannabis Advisory Board would have the power to add new debilitating conditions, while the Medical Cannabis Production Commission would regulate the supply of medical…

When the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Sen. Bill Rabon, introduced SB 711, the odds of passing medical cannabis legislation in North Carolina improved dramatically. The Senate appears to be taking this bill seriously, and it’s possible they could schedule a public hearing on it very soon.

After many frustrating years of inaction, North Carolina legislators finally appear to be seriously considering cannabis policy reforms. Last week, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Raleigh) acknowledged that “public opinion is changing” on the issue and indicated that the legislature may be willing to consider medical cannabis legislation.