The millions of cannabis arrests in the U.S. over the last 25 years have caused humiliation, trauma, lost jobs, evictions, deportations, derailed dreams — and even death. But far too few of the stories have been told. This is Tahir's story. Please tell us yours.

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.

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.