North Carolina: the process of legalizing medical cannabis moves forward

A North Carolina Senate committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would legalize medical cannabis in the state.

Rules Committee Chair Bill Rabon is sponsoring the measure, which would allow patients to access cannabis if they suffer from a «disabling medical condition» such as cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis. Regulators would have the authority to add other eligibility criteria.

«The goal of the legislation is to »provide compassionate care for specific illnesses to people in North Carolina who need it and to help them become law-abiding citizens,'" Mr. Rabon said before the vote.

«I can tell you that I was deeply moved by this issue because of my personal experiences,» said the senator, who is a cancer survivor. «It has sometimes been difficult for me to talk about this with certain people, but I repeat that the time has come, that this must be discussed, and that we must care for our fellow human beings with compassion, in every way possible and in every way we can, as a body, to make it legal.»

Majority Leader Kathy Harrington, whose husband was recently diagnosed with blood cancer, was one of the members of the caucus who voted in favor.

«If you had asked me six months ago whether I would support this bill, I would have said no,», she said. «But life catches up with you quickly.».

Under a substitute amendment adopted by the committee the previous week, a 13-member medical cannabis advisory board would be able to «review petitions to add a new debilitating medical condition and would have the authority to add a new debilitating medical condition,» according to the summary.

In addition, a nine-member Medical Cannabis Production Commission would be established to «provide a safe and regulated supply of cannabis suitable for medical use by registry cardholders; ensure province-wide access to safe and affordable cannabis for registry cardholders; establish a well-regulated system—including a seed-to-sale tracking system—that is financially viable for suppliers to ensure the highest quality of cannabis and cannabis-infused products for patients; and generate sufficient revenue for the Commission to oversee the system and for the department to maintain and operate it.».

The bill must still go before three other committees before it is eventually considered by the North Carolina Senate.