NC lawmakers push again to legalize medical marijuana after years of efforts going up in smoke

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- There's a renewed push to get medical marijuana over the finish line after years of efforts going up in smoke in North Carolina.

On Monday, the North Carolina Senate voted in a wide bipartisan majority vote, 36-10 to legalize medical marijuana.

But in past years, similar efforts have stalled on the House side.

In order to appeal to conservatives in the House who might be on the fence, this version of HB 563 has some changes.

Recreational marijuana wouldn't be legal in the state unless approved by the General Assembly even if the federal government legalizes it.

And there would also be stiffer regulations on the existing hemp and CBD market, including tightening ID checks and making sure the product behind lock and key.

At Heal Tree CBD in Durham, they say they do that anyway, and if that helps put people's concerns at ease, it's worth it.

"When it comes to regulations on it, you know, there's always going to be a couple of bad apples that ruin it for everybody. So it's much easier to have that regulation there, to have it there instead of just hoping that everybody's doing the, you know, honor system when you always have a couple of bad apples," says owner Davit Melikian.

At Duke Medical, they're also closely following what's happening in Raleigh.

Dr. David Casarett works in palliative care and say because of laws now, sometimes his hands are tied when it comes to open discussions with patients.

"I need to work within the bounds of what's legal. I also need to help my patients and I also need to be open and willing to talk about it because, you know, if a patient comes to me and asks me about medical cannabis and I say it's illegal, I can't talk about it, I'm basically shut off," Dr. Casarett says.

He says while it's not a miracle drug, marijuana can have benefits for symptoms of Parkinson's or people suffering from side effects of cancer treatments.

Dr. Casarett says he's glad the new law would include a Compassionate Use Committee that would research the benefits.

"I think if and when it does become legal in in North Carolina, the legislation will be much better as a result of a little bit of footdragging. So it's a little bit frustrating. But I think in the long run, we want to get this right," he says.

ABC11 reached out to Speaker Tim Moore's office to see when this might come up for a vote in the House - they have not responded, and the clock is ticking on this legislative session.

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