Another North Carolina Senate committee has approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana—the third panel to advance the measure in as many days. The momentum in the Senate comes shortly after a top House lawmaker said his chamber is positioned to enact the reform this session despite blocking similar legislation last year.
The Senate Rules and Operations Committee advanced the proposal from Sen. Bill Rabon (R), who serves as chair of the panel, in a voice vote on Thursday.
The bill, which cleared the Judiciary and Finance Committees earlier this week, next heads to a vote on the Senate floor—expected next week.
The legislation would allow patients with qualifying conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and multiple sclerosis to possess and purchase cannabis from licensed dispensaries.
“The intent of this bill is only to make changes to the current law on cannabis in North Carolina to protect patients and doctors from criminal and civil liability and does not intend in any way to change current civil and criminal laws for the non-medical use of marijuana.”
“it’s a very tight bill,” he said.
Ahead of the vote, Rabon also read out loud a letter from a woman whose dying mother found relief from medical cannabis toward the end of her life.
“You can say what you want,” the senator said, noting that he has received hundreds of other such stories. “This is real… We should always believe in our fellow man, and we should…
