Mountain Xpress, 5/12/2017
“It seems to me to be long overdue, since there is reputable medical evidence to show its effectiveness in treating some illnesses and other medical conditions,” says Rep. Susan Fisher, whose district covers most of Asheville. She wants the Legislature to approve a referendum and let the people decide. “It is not clear to me why people would be opposed to its medical use,” says Fisher, though she notes that “people associate marijuana with other more dangerously addictive substances.”
2021:
H576 Marijuana Justice and Reinvestment Act
H617 Cannabis Legalization & Regulation
H858 Permit Cannabis Medical Research Studies
H929 North Carolina Medical Cannabis Act
2020:
HB1143 Modify Tax on Marijuana Products in 2020 Link
2019:
HB401 Enact Medical Cannabis Act in 2019 Link
2018:
HB 994 Revise Marijuana Laws in 2018 Link
2017:
HB 185 Legalize Medical Marijuana in 2017 Link
2016:
HB 983 Legalize and Tax Medical Marijuana in 2016 Link
2015:
HB 78 Enact Medical Cannabis Act in 2015 Link
HB 317 Medical Marijuana for Terminally Ill Patients in 2015 Link
2014:
HB 1220 Hope 4 Haley and Friends in 2014 Link
2013:
HB 637 Expunction of Marijuana Offense in 2013 Link
2011:
HB 577 Enact Medical Cannabis Act in 2011 Link
2009:
HB1380 Medical Marijuana Act Link
A Publicly supports ending prohibition of marijuana for adults - cosponsor of legislation.
Voted Aye on HB1220-Hope 4 Haley and Friends which proposed a pilot study program and registry to investigate the safety and efficacy of hemp extract in the treatment of intractable epilepsy.
Neurologists at UNC-Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Wake Forest University and Duke University were encouraged to conduct studies and provide hemp extract of less than 0.3% THC by weight and at least 10% cannabidiol by weight to patients with intractable epilepsy who enrolled in those studies. 2014
Voted Aye on HB766-Amend CBD Oil Statute which proposed that board certified neurologists may recommend hemp extract containing less than 0.9% THC by weight and at least 5% cannabidiol by weight to patients with intractable epilepsy without enrolling in pilot studies, and that DHHS set up a database of patients, caregivers and neurologists rather than a registry. 2015
Voted Aye on SB313-Industrial Hemp which proposed the development of an industrial hemp industry in the State in order to expand employment, promote economic activity, and provide opportunities to small farmers for an environmentally sustainable and profitable use of crop lands that might otherwise be lost to agricultural production; to establish an agricultural pilot program for the cultivation of industrial hemp in the State, to provide for reporting on the program by growers and processors for agricultural or other research, and to pursue any federal permits or waivers necessary to allow industrial hemp to be grown in the State. 2015
Voted Aye on HB992/SB77-Amend Industrial Hemp Definition which proposed modifications in language of SL2015-299, increased number of Commissioners from 5 to 9, proposed that the Commission will issue licenses for “research” to include “the growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp.” 2015
Voted Aye on SB124-LEO Managed CBD Oil Drop Box which proposed that any individual who possesses or uses hemp extract, as defined under this section, shall dispose of all residual oil from the extract at a secure collection box managed by a law enforcement agency, and that any neurologist who approves of dispensing hemp extract to a registered caregiver, shall inform the registered caregiver that disposal must be done at a secure collection box. 2018
Responses to NC NORML's 2020 Questionnaire:
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? YES
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
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
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
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