RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) – The legislation that would make hemp and CBD legal in North Carolina is headed for the desk of Gov. Roy Cooper.
Senate Bill 455 was passed by the state House on Wednesday following unanimous approval in the Senate.
The bill would allow farmers to continue to grow hemp as a foundation for the fiber found in rope and garments and other products but also for the CBD products, such as oils, vapes and other consumables. The difference is that these products are very low in intoxicants, such as THC, and serve more to soothe people than to make them high.
It’s also a precursor to a move by the Senate to approve medical marijuana. That measure cleared its final committee on Wednesday and could get a full vote in the Senate as soon as today. Should that occur, prospects for its being reviewed by the House in this session are slim.
The House also was not totally behind the hemp bill that passed by a vote of 86-25. Among those 25 Republicans voting nay were House Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Sarah Stevens, who represents Surry, Wilkes and Alleghany counties, Rep. John Faircloth of Guilford County, Pat Hurley of Randolph County and Ben Moss of Montgomery County.
WGHP reached out via email to each of those representatives to ask what prompted their votes, but most did not respond immediately.
Faircloth responded with a phone call to say that he supports medical…
