Politician Info
F Patricia McElraft (R - NC) NO MEDICAL USE

From North Carolina Health News:

“My philosophy right now is, we are actually legalizing recreational marijuana if we don’t listen to our law enforcement and do something about this,” said North Carolina state Rep. Pat McElraft, a Republican and deputy House majority whip.

The rise of hemp products so similar to marijuana has caught some lawmakers by surprise. Nobody talked about smoking hemp or said police couldn’t tell the difference between hemp and marijuana when North Carolina created a hemp pilot program in 2015, McElraft said.

From Charlotte Observer:

House Deputy Majority Whip Pat McElraft, an Emerald Isle Republican, said that when the General Assembly agreed to start the industrial hemp commission, it was talking about hemp products like rope and soap.

“Our farmers should never have been given the bill of sell, s-e-l-l, for smokable hemp,” McElraft said.

 
Position on Medical Marijuana

In response to 2020 NC Family Policy Council question, "Should NC legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes?", McElraft responded NO

Sponsor Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, has repeatedly noted in legislative hearings that the bill doesn't include what she calls "the M-word" because the marijuana plant has been altered so much to produce CBD that it's legally considered hemp.

Comments

F Public opposition to significant marijuana law reform (adult use, medical, and/or decriminalization) but may have sponsored and/or voted in favor of CBD/Hemp specific bills.

Did not respond to NC NORML's 2020 Primary Questionnaire

Sponsored HB766-Amend CBD Oil Statute (2015) 

Sponsored HB1220-Hope 4 Haley and Friends (2014)

Voted Aye on SB124-LEO Managed CBD Oil Drop Box (2018) 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.

Voted Aye on HB992/SB77-Amend Industrial Hemp Definition (2016) 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.”

Voted Aye on SB313-Industrial Hemp (2015) 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.

Sponsored and Voted Aye on HB766-Amend CBD Oil Statute (2015) 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.

Sponsored and Voted Aye on HB1220-Hope 4 Haley and Friends (2014) 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.

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