Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Lee, said he voted against SB711 because of his concern that it would allow “Big Marijuana” to flourish in North Carolina following legislative efforts to limit the influence of “Big Tobacco.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris pledges to federally legalize marijuana, ensuring that access to cannabis is “the law of the land."
If elected, she will "break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back by legalizing marijuana nationally, working with Congress to ensure that the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land."
The Democratic presidential nominee’s cannabis plan to "legalize marijuana at the federal level to break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back" is part of what her campaign calls an "opportunity agend." (10/14/24)
As Vice President, Harris has repeatedly stated that Americans should not be incarcerated for marijuana use. She’s championed the Biden administration’s efforts to pardon low-level marijuana offenders and to loosen certain federal cannabis restrictions. And as the Democratic presidential nominee, she’s the first major party candidate to have ever called for the plant’s legalization and regulation.
Following the passage of Congressional amendments limiting the Justice Department from taking prosecutorial actions against those in legal marijuana states, Former President Trump consistently issued signing statements indicating that he believed that he had the power to disregard these amendments because he believed them to be unconstitutional. (Source)
Regarding Florida's 2024 Amendment 3, Trump said, "someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States.” (8/31/24)
Governor Walz has been an outspoken proponent of adult-use marijuana legalization and in 2019 he ordered state agencies to begin taking steps to prepare for a change in law.
Vance was among the nine members of the Senate Banking Committee who voted in the minority against the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act in September 2023. That bill is still pending floor action, and Democratic leadership has repeatedly described it as a priority without advancing it further, but Vance said he opposed it in part because he believes it would inadvertently make it easier for illicit operators to traffic other drugs such as fentanyl. Asked about his opposition to the legislation in April 2024, the senator argued that it “was crafted in such a way that actually would have opened up access to banking resources for fentanyl traffickers and others.” There’s no clear evidence that that’s the case, but Vance has more generally discussed his concerns with the fentanyl trade on several occasions. (7/15/24)
During a campaign event with the Milwaukee Police Association in Wisconsin, Vance said he spoke to a police officer who told him that "we’ve got fentanyl in our marijuana bags that our teenagers are using," echoing a claim about laced cannabis that’s been routinely contested by advocates and certain state regulators: "Look, I’m the parent of three young kids… A seven-year-old, a four-year-old and a two-year-old. We don’t have to worry about this yet, but I’m certain—because kids are kids—that one day, one of my kids is going to take something or do something that I don’t want them to take. But I don’t want that mistake to ruin their life. I want them to learn from it. I want their parents to be able to punish them. I don’t want our kids to make mistakes on American streets and have it take their lives away from them," he said, suggesting that he recognizes when his children grow up they may experiment with certain substances such as marijuana, but he’s more concerned with potentially lethal contamination. (8/16/24)
Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein said the bill lacks protections and should go further in decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana and expunging past convictions. “It’s past time for N.C. to move forward on medical cannabis, decriminalization of simple possession, and expungement of criminal records, but we have to do it right. HB 563 fails to adequately protect kids,” Stein wrote in a statement shared last week.
Bishop was a signatory to a letter to Mike Crapo, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee...thanking him for proposing a series of restrictive changes to a House-passed bill to provide marijuana businesses with greater access to financial services.
Reflector 6/8/2022 - Local lawmakers mixed on medical cannabis bill
Sen. Don Davis, who represents Pitt and Greene counties, said the licensure policy established in the bill led him to vote against it. He was one of two Democrats to vote against the bill in the Senate despite having an “open mind” about legalization itself.
“I’ve maintained a commitment to farmers over the years, and when I look at the bill I believe the bill leaves out your small family farmers in particular,” Davis said. “Eastern North Carolina’s economy (has) struggled ever since tobacco manufacturing has gone south and I think it’s important we continue to look at ways to build our economy.”
Davis added he would like to see a bill include some form of decriminalization or forgiveness for those convicted for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
2021 - Despite her position against cannabis, she has bought cannabis stock. https://www.salon.com/2021/05/29/meet-the-anti-legalization-gop-congresswoman-cashing-in-on-marijuana-stocks/
"Legalization of hemp cultivation is a topic on which I received a great deal of mail when I was in the North Carolina State Senate but I have not read a great deal about it since coming to Congress. One of my concerns is that people would grow hemp to circumvent laws regarding marijuana. Drug addiction is one of the largest challenges we face in this country and I will continue to oppose any effort to make it easier for people to grow and use drugs." https://tinyurl.com/FoxxHempEqualMarijuana
Rouzer was a signatory to a letter to Mike Crapo, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, thanking him for proposing a series of restrictive changes to a House-passed bill to provide marijuana businesses with greater access to financial services.
Edwards along with 13 other members of Congress urged the DEA to "'reject' the top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana and instead keep it in the most restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
The Carolina Journal 8/18/2023: Cherokee people should say no to pot
"To allow our citizens to travel only a few miles to buy and use this common gateway drug — which the CDC and the New England Journal of Medicine have said can result in short- and long-term danger of addiction, altered brain development, chronic psychosis disorders, and others — would be irresponsible. And I intend to stop it."
WRAL 6/12/22:
Shortly after the medical marijuana bill cleared the Senate, GOP House Speaker Tim Moore said he opposes the legislation and doesn’t plan to consider it as the legislative session winds down this month. He also declined to say whether his chamber would hold a vote in the future.
“I want to see where our folks are on it. I really do,” Moore said. “That one has just kind of been thrown down, and I don't see an appetite to take that up in the shorter session. As far as the long session, I won't say one way or the other."
“Marijuana does not treat the ill, but only masks the symptoms,” he said.
Carolina Democracy Interview 7/18/22:
"And with medical marijuana that was a really interesting bill too, because it wasn't just everybody, I think said everything's so partisan, right? So Democrats versus the Republicans. Now if you've looked at that medical marijuana vote, there are a number of Democrats and Republicans who do not support of course medical marijuana and some that do. And so that was interesting because you have to find members and you have to actually communicate, God forbid, with all of the legislators to see where they stand on that. So the Senate, we were very proud to pass both of those out, but unfortunately medical marijuana is also not likely to move anytime soon in the House, given some of the members and leadership over there that are not supportive of it."
From his response to NC Family Policy Council questionnaire: "I'm not asking anyone to vote for me. I don't campaign, accept donations, or do questionnaires/forums/interviews/pledges. I don't even tell anyone I'm on the ballot. I am as my committee name puts it, Just Buying Permission to Vote for Myself." See Response Form
INDY WEEK - 4/20/2024: Legalizing Cannabis:
"As Attorney General Josh Stein and I discussed recently, racial justice issues in North Carolina cannot be addressed without taking on the continued prohibition of cannabis. In North Carolina people of color make up more than 60 percent of convictions for marijuana possession, despite being only 30 percent of the population, and despite the fact that the drug is consumed roughly equally across racial lines, according to Governor Cooper’s racial equity task force.
Arrest and conviction have implications far beyond a fine and time behind bars. Criminal punishment often leads to crippling, lifelong issues, like the loss of housing, difficulty finding employment, and even challenges to a parent’s custody of their children.
It’s time for a change. "
Today, the North Carolina Senate passed the Compassionate Care Act, medical cannabis. While I believe this bill doesn’t go far enough, I was happy to support a proposal to provide relief and comfort to our fellow North Carolinians. It’s now up to the House. Onward.
“This is a medical cannabis bill,” Sen. Paul Lowe (D-Forsyth), one of the bill’s lead sponsors, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “It’s not recreational. It does not do all of the things a recreational bill would do, and that’s for another day. But right now, I believe this bill will help some North Carolinians.”
mountainx.com 5/12/2017:
Rep. John Ager, who’s co-sponsoring the legislation, says, “I had a close friend with colon cancer that had much of her pain mitigated with marijuana before her untimely death. The opioid epidemic is ravaging our state, and this would be a great reason to legalize medical marijuana.” Ager represents northeastern Buncombe County.
“One advantage we have in North Carolina is that we already have a system for controlling the sale of alcohol through state-run ABC stores. Perhaps sale of marijuana through that venue would provide some safety, not to mention revenue for the state,” he notes. “Colorado is funding a lot of school construction with marijuana revenue, and that is a need we have here as well.”
Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe) requested to amend the bill for in-state growers and retailers to participate in the medical marijuana trade. “This is a bill that the public clearly wants, but it is not quite there yet,” said Mayfield who ultimately voted against it.
State Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe County) told WNCN-TV that “no North Carolina company can get one of the licenses.”
Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield has expressed concerns with the vertical structure, saying that only large corporations would be able to afford to compete and that the state’s hemp businesses would be shut out.
Mayfield filed an amendment that would require the commission to issue dozens of separate grower, processing and retail licenses, but lawmakers tabled that amendment.
Dixon called marijuana a “hellish gateway drug,”
We must also pursue equity in sentencing. Selling marijuana is hardly the same as murder, and there is no reason a low-level marijuana offender should receive a harsher sentence than a violent criminal.
"It is a gateway drug, which causes confusion as its primary function and results in addiction." Republican opposition defeats North Carolina medical cannabis again
Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein said the bill lacks protections and should go further in decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana and expunging past convictions. “It’s past time for N.C. to move forward on medical cannabis, decriminalization of simple possession, and expungement of criminal records, but we have to do it right. HB 563 fails to adequately protect kids,” Stein wrote in a statement shared last week.
Senator Thom Tillis does not explicitly support legalization of marijuana but does support further research regarding the safety and benefits cannabis, particularly the pain relieving effects.
Reflector 6/8/2022 - Local lawmakers mixed on medical cannabis bill
Sen. Don Davis, who represents Pitt and Greene counties, said the licensure policy established in the bill led him to vote against it. He was one of two Democrats to vote against the bill in the Senate despite having an “open mind” about legalization itself.
“I’ve maintained a commitment to farmers over the years, and when I look at the bill I believe the bill leaves out your small family farmers in particular,” Davis said. “Eastern North Carolina’s economy (has) struggled ever since tobacco manufacturing has gone south and I think it’s important we continue to look at ways to build our economy.”
Davis added he would like to see a bill include some form of decriminalization or forgiveness for those convicted for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
2021 - Despite her position against cannabis, she has bought cannabis stock. https://www.salon.com/2021/05/29/meet-the-anti-legalization-gop-congresswoman-cashing-in-on-marijuana-stocks/
"Legalization of hemp cultivation is a topic on which I received a great deal of mail when I was in the North Carolina State Senate but I have not read a great deal about it since coming to Congress. One of my concerns is that people would grow hemp to circumvent laws regarding marijuana. Drug addiction is one of the largest challenges we face in this country and I will continue to oppose any effort to make it easier for people to grow and use drugs." https://tinyurl.com/FoxxHempEqualMarijuana
Rouzer was a signatory to a letter to Mike Crapo, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, thanking him for proposing a series of restrictive changes to a House-passed bill to provide marijuana businesses with greater access to financial services.
Bishop was a signatory to a letter to Mike Crapo, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee...thanking him for proposing a series of restrictive changes to a House-passed bill to provide marijuana businesses with greater access to financial services.
Edwards along with 13 other members of Congress urged the DEA to "'reject' the top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana and instead keep it in the most restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
The Carolina Journal 8/18/2023: Cherokee people should say no to pot
"To allow our citizens to travel only a few miles to buy and use this common gateway drug — which the CDC and the New England Journal of Medicine have said can result in short- and long-term danger of addiction, altered brain development, chronic psychosis disorders, and others — would be irresponsible. And I intend to stop it."
Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Lee, said he voted against SB711 because of his concern that it would allow “Big Marijuana” to flourish in North Carolina following legislative efforts to limit the influence of “Big Tobacco.”
“Marijuana does not treat the ill, but only masks the symptoms,” he said.
Carolina Democracy Interview 7/18/22:
"And with medical marijuana that was a really interesting bill too, because it wasn't just everybody, I think said everything's so partisan, right? So Democrats versus the Republicans. Now if you've looked at that medical marijuana vote, there are a number of Democrats and Republicans who do not support of course medical marijuana and some that do. And so that was interesting because you have to find members and you have to actually communicate, God forbid, with all of the legislators to see where they stand on that. So the Senate, we were very proud to pass both of those out, but unfortunately medical marijuana is also not likely to move anytime soon in the House, given some of the members and leadership over there that are not supportive of it."
INDY WEEK - 4/20/2024: Legalizing Cannabis:
"As Attorney General Josh Stein and I discussed recently, racial justice issues in North Carolina cannot be addressed without taking on the continued prohibition of cannabis. In North Carolina people of color make up more than 60 percent of convictions for marijuana possession, despite being only 30 percent of the population, and despite the fact that the drug is consumed roughly equally across racial lines, according to Governor Cooper’s racial equity task force.
Arrest and conviction have implications far beyond a fine and time behind bars. Criminal punishment often leads to crippling, lifelong issues, like the loss of housing, difficulty finding employment, and even challenges to a parent’s custody of their children.
It’s time for a change. "
Today, the North Carolina Senate passed the Compassionate Care Act, medical cannabis. While I believe this bill doesn’t go far enough, I was happy to support a proposal to provide relief and comfort to our fellow North Carolinians. It’s now up to the House. Onward.
Opponents, who included Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, expressed concern that SB711 will: serve as a gateway to legalized marijuana in North Carolina by 2024; that the licensing fee for vendors is too low; that a license should not be allowed to be sold; and that the potential profit levels need to be lowered.
“This is a medical cannabis bill,” Sen. Paul Lowe (D-Forsyth), one of the bill’s lead sponsors, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “It’s not recreational. It does not do all of the things a recreational bill would do, and that’s for another day. But right now, I believe this bill will help some North Carolinians.”
Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe) requested to amend the bill for in-state growers and retailers to participate in the medical marijuana trade. “This is a bill that the public clearly wants, but it is not quite there yet,” said Mayfield who ultimately voted against it.
State Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe County) told WNCN-TV that “no North Carolina company can get one of the licenses.”
Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield has expressed concerns with the vertical structure, saying that only large corporations would be able to afford to compete and that the state’s hemp businesses would be shut out.
Mayfield filed an amendment that would require the commission to issue dozens of separate grower, processing and retail licenses, but lawmakers tabled that amendment.
Dixon called marijuana a “hellish gateway drug,”
WRAL 6/12/22:
Shortly after the medical marijuana bill cleared the Senate, GOP House Speaker Tim Moore said he opposes the legislation and doesn’t plan to consider it as the legislative session winds down this month. He also declined to say whether his chamber would hold a vote in the future.
“I want to see where our folks are on it. I really do,” Moore said. “That one has just kind of been thrown down, and I don't see an appetite to take that up in the shorter session. As far as the long session, I won't say one way or the other."
"It is a gateway drug, which causes confusion as its primary function and results in addiction." Republican opposition defeats North Carolina medical cannabis again