{"id":497,"date":"2026-06-18T18:05:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=497"},"modified":"2026-06-18T18:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:05:03","slug":"nc-senate-democrats-propose-legalizing-cannabis-but-prospects-hazy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=497","title":{"rendered":"NC Senate Democrats propose legalizing cannabis, but prospects hazy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A new bill proposed by North Carolina Senate Democrats would put constitutional amendments to legalize recreational and medical cannabis on the ballot. But its odds of getting a vote in the Senate are not high, Republican leadership says.<\/p>\n

Read more NC lawmakers seek tighter rules for autism therapy in push to eliminate Medicaid fraud<\/a><\/p>\n

Senate Bill 1072 would put two separate amendments on the ballot in November, asking voters to legalize possession of \u201climited amounts of cannabis\u201d for recreational use and medical use by patients with qualifying conditions, respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of North Carolina deserve a voice in determining the future of cannabis policy in our state,\u201d said Sen. Kandie Smith (D-Edgecombe), one of the bill\u2019s lead sponsors. \u201cWhat it does is, it provides a pathway for North Carolinians to vote on whether limited personal possession and medical use should be permitted under our state\u2019s constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) had a blunt response: \u201cI\u2019m not sure that we\u2019re in a place where legalizing marijuana is going to be taken up,\u201d he said Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is some interest in looking at the hemp situation and the components of hemp and the sale of some of the derivatives,\u201d Berger said. \u201cIt\u2019s really undetermined whether we\u2019re talking about a complete ban, or we\u2019re talking about a regulatory scheme, or we\u2019re talking about including these and not including those. There are just discussions that are taking place as to what we garner consensus over.\u201d<\/p>\n

One such proposal currently moving through the House would ban individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing hemp-derived consumables.<\/p>\n

Berger has lent support to medical marijuana in the past. In 2024, the Senate passed a bill that would have legalized medical marijuana while restricting hemp-based consumables. The bill, which passed by a margin of 36-10, was championed by Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick), a cancer survivor who said cannabis helped him withstand intensive chemotherapy for colon cancer.<\/p>\n

However, the House declined to take up Rabon\u2019s bill due to insufficient GOP support in that chamber. North Carolina remains one of only 10 states that have not yet approved medical marijuana.<\/p>\n

Read more White House discloses outline of deal to end Iran war, open Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\u2018We can\u2019t really pivot\u2019: North Carolina hemp stores, farms prepare to fight federal ban<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n