Legislature
adjourns without acting on marijuana legislation
The legislature adjourned for the year in Raleigh
before sensible marijuana legislation could be debated. Two bills that would
bring logical, and scientifically-based, marijuana policy to North Carolina
were introduced this session. Since legislation carries over when the
legislature returns in 2012, lawmakers have another opportunity next year to take
a serious look at these bills.
H 577 – introduced
by a bipartisan group of North Carolina representatives lead by Rep. Kelly
Alexander, Jr. (D – Mecklenburg) – would protect qualifying patients and their
caregivers from arrest for possessing and growing marijuana, if the patient
registers with the health department and has a doctor’s recommendation. It
would also allow state-regulated medical marijuana centers so patients would
have safe, reliable, and immediate access to medical marijuana. Please email your representative and ask him or her to support medical marijuana in North Carolina.
In addition to medical marijuana, legislators introduced a bill that would
downgrade simple possession of marijuana to an infraction, instead of a
misdemeanor. The bill, HB 324, would also reduce penalties for possessing up to
an ounce of marijuana from either a suspended sentence (for persons with no
priors who possess under half an ounce of marijuana) or possible jail time to a
civil fine of up to $100. State Reps. Kelly Alexander, Jr. (D – Mecklenburg)
and Larry Hall (D – Durham) are the sponsors of HB 324. Please email your representative today
and ask him or her to support this sensible and fiscally sound legislation.
In addition to MPP, www.ncmedicalcannabis.org provides visitors up-to-date information on
marijuana legislation pending in North Carolina. The purpose of the site is to
serve as an information clearing house dedicated to passing medical marijuana
legislation in North Carolina. Another important resource is the North
Carolina Cannabis Patients Network,
a former MPP grantee, which has worked to lobby legislators in the General
Assembly and to build support for medical marijuana legislation in the
community.
Would you or
someone you know benefit from medical marijuana?
If you are a medical professional, a patient who
might benefit from medical marijuana, or if you know somebody who might benefit
from medical marijuana, we would like to hear from you. Additionally, if you
are a law enforcement official, a clergy member, or a member of the legal
community, please email state@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help.
Learn more about
North Carolina's marijuana laws
Did you know that over 25,000 people were
arrested for marijuana possession in North Carolina in 2007 alone? 91% of all
marijuana arrests in North Carolina were for simple possession. If you believe
that North Carolina’s law-enforcement dollars could be better spent going after
real criminals, write your legislators a letter urging
them to support legislation reducing marijuana possession penalties. To learn more about marijuana laws in North
Carolina, take a look at this report by economist Jon Gettman, Ph.D.
Write a letter to the editor in
support of medical marijuana
If you are interested in composing a powerful
150- to 200-word letter to the editor, we'd be glad to help. Please send MPP an
email at state@mpp.org, along
with a short description of why you support medical marijuana laws.
Sign up now to stay up-to-date on
North Carolina marijuana policy
To stay updated on the status of marijuana policy
reform in North Carolina, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service, if you haven't done so already.
