Another North Carolina Senate committee has approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The Senate Finance Committee advanced the legislation in a voice vote on Wednesday. This action comes one month after the Judiciary Committee passed the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, also via a voice vote. Under the proposal, sponsored by Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon (R), patients would be allowed to access cannabis if they have a “debilitating medical condition” such as cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis. Regulators would have the authority to add additional qualifying conditions. The focus of this latest meeting was on financial issues related to the reform, and members approved an amendment that aims to make the medical cannabis program “self-sustaining” by ensuring that the tax revenue it generates continues to cover the costs of regulating the market. Under an earlier substitute amendment adopted in Judiciary last month, a 13-member Medical Cannabis Advisory Board would be able to “review petitions to add a new debilitating medical condition and have the power to add a new debilitating medical condition,” according to a summary.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/21/2021 13:43:00