GOP-Led North Carolina Senate Passes Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana, Dividing Conservative Senators

The GOP-dominated North Carolina Senate passed legislation Monday evening to legalize medical marijuana while imposing stringent controls on hemp-derived products. The bill, passed on a 36-10 vote. The Republican Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.

Republican state Senator Tom McInnis voiced concerns that the bill could potentially end up allowing medical marijuana to treat all manner of conditions and ultimately open the door to legalizing recreational marijuana.

"Any condition, ladies and gentlemen, is fair game for treatment under this bill as it is written. Paralysis, gonorrhea, broken heart, anything that that group says is going to be okay," said McInnis, reported NC Newsline.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen Bill Rabon (R) countered with an amendment that would prevent marijuana from becoming legal for recreational use without express approval from the North Carolina General Assembly, should it be reclassified at the federal level. That amendment passed with a 26-20 vote despite concerns from some Democrats.

One Senator Raises Specter Of Black Market & Gateway Theory

"Right now, North Carolina has a way of stopping something that I think is a mistake," said Republican Norm Sanderson. "Wait until this becomes law, if it does, we're really going to see an explosion in the black market. Because people are not going to be satisfied with the current level where we've set the THC in this medical marijuana. They're going to be wanting something stronger because it always leads to something stronger."

Meanwhile, Democratic senator Gladys Robinson supported the bill citing medical experts.

"I have talked to the medical center doctors at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill that have provided research and care for sickle cell patients. And their advice to me has been that they feel that medical marijuana will help sickle cell patients to regulate the pain. And that pain keeps them from functioning in life," Robinson said per the outlet.

The Real Specter: North Carolina's Opioid Crisis

From 2000-2022, more than 36,000 North Carolinians lost their lives to drug overdose. "This epidemic is devastating families and communities. It is overwhelming medical providers and is straining prevention and treatment efforts," according to a report from the NC Dept of Health and Human Services.

Senator Ralph Hise (R) shared personal anecdotes of his family’s experiences with Oxycontin to illustrate the potential benefits of cannabis over addictive pharmaceuticals, noting that he's been a caregiver for two family members who died of cancer.

"I've seen what high doses of Oxycontin will do to them. And I don't suspect that marijuana is worse," he said.

The bill’s future in the House remains uncertain as Speaker Tim Moore has previously indicated a lack of support within the Republican caucus to pass the legislation, though he himself supports it.

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Now Read: Nine In 10 Americans Back Marijuana Legalization: What It Means For The Future Of Cannabis

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