North Carolina revives the possibility of legalizing medical marijuana

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina senators are pushing to legalize medical marijuana again, but it’s unclear if the state House will approve it.

A Senate bill that was originally intended to add state regulations to hemp products experienced a major facelift on Wednesday when lawmakers added a provision legalizing medical marijuana. The amendment would apply to qualifying patients who have a “debilitating medical condition” such as cancer or epilepsy to be prescribed medical cannabis by a doctor.

It comes amid a pending decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to drop marijuana as a Schedule I drug to Schedule III and recognize its medical uses.

The original bill — which added several regulations for hemp products that are legal under federal law — was approved in a committee Wednesday morning before a Senate floor vote. Federal law allows for the sale of hemp products with concentrations of less than 0.3% of delta-9 THC, which is one of the main psychoactive substances found in traditional cannabis.

The hemp regulations bill was suddenly sent back to the Senate Judiciary Committee to add the 35-page medical marijuana provision Wednesday afternoon.

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