An 'A' letter grade indicates that this candidate has publicly declared their support for ending prohibition of marijuana for adults and/or has cosponsored legislation to do so.

Responses to NC NORML’s 2020 General Election Questionnaire:

Please indicate which statements agree with your views regarding justice, medical cannabis, opportunities for farmers, and individual liberties. (Agreement noted in BOLD) Responded 9/27/20

The Detection and Standardization Field Sobriety Test is acceptable as evidence for driving under the influence of cannabis charges for NC law, enforcement agencies, not blood or urine.

NC law enforcement departments should establish pre-charge diversion programs for drug charges.

NC farmers should be able to grow cannabis with higher THC levels for medical use. This would benefit both patients and farmers.

As with other medicines, healthcare providers practicing within their scope of practice should have the professional freedom to recommend cannabis to patients at the dose, THC level, and for the conditions they deem effective.

Patients should have the freedom to seek cannabis therapies for their conditions at the dose and THC levels that could be effective as patients in other states have the freedom.

Since cannabis has lower addiction rates than alcohol and cigarettes and does not lead to illegal drug use, but instead reduces opioid and cocaine use, cannabis for adult use should be legal.

NC’s state budget would benefit from legalizing cannabis.

I would consider cosponsoring a bill that reduces penalties for possession from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction.

I would consider cosponsoring a medical marijuana bill.

I would consider cosponsoring a bill to tax and regulate cannabis for adult use.

What questions would you like us to answer about cannabis legalization, medical uses, the impact on state and local revenues or crime?

Responses to NC NORML's 2020 Primary Questionnaire:

1. Do you support prohibiting access to marijuana (cannabis) by persons younger than 21 years, unless for evidence-based medical applications prescribed by a healthcare provider and with parental consent? NO

2. Research reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that states with legalized cannabis saw a reduction in opioid use and opioid overdose deaths. Would you consider legalizing medical cannabis as a strategy to reduce opioid use? YES

3. According to the Cato Institute, North Carolina spent ~ $263.3 million in state and local dollars to enforce cannabis laws in 2016. Meanwhile, the American Journal of Drug Alcohol Abuse found that arrestees who tested positive for THC had low incidents of aggressive crime. Aggressive crimes were associated with self-reported use of alcohol. Would you consider decriminalizing possession of cannabis since its use results in less aggression than legal alcohol? YES

4. A Mayo Clinic study has shown that cannabis has lower addiction rates than alcohol (Nicotine 32%; Heroin 23%; Cocaine 17%; Alcohol 15%; Cannabis 9%). Do you agree that adults should have the right to use cannabis? YES

5. Contradicting the myth that cannabis is a gateway drug, the RAND Corporation reported in 2012 that the use of cocaine dropped 50% as cannabis use increased 40%. Cannabis is associated with lower use of hard drugs and is not a gateway drug. Would you consider legalizing adult use of cannabis? YES

6. Comments: "Commercial cannabis should be treated, and taxed, like alcohol, and cannabis grown for home or personal use should not be regulated at all."