North Carolina Marijuana Bill Survives Committee

Medical marijuana won near-unanimous approval in a committee hearing in the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly last week, the first of potentially many votes standing in the way of the plan becoming law. It’s a sign the bill could have broad support, according to the News & Observer. While the votes were not officially recorded, it appeared that all but two or three lawmakers voted for the bill.

The bill’s sponsor is Sen. Bill Rabon, an influential committee chairman. And one of the votes in favor of it came from Senate Majority Leader Kathy Harrington. She said her husband was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and she has since come to realize that medical marijuana could help other patients in similar, painful situations.

“If you had asked me six months ago if I would support this bill, I would have said no,” Harrington said. “But life comes at you fast.”

If the bill is passed into law, North Carolina doctors would be able to prescribe marijuana for PTSD, cancer, sickle cell anemia, ALS and several other specific health problems. Lawmakers had initially included glaucoma on the list too, but deleted it during committee.