Following the Senate passage of a medical cannabis bill in North Carolina, House Speaker Tim Moore (R) has indicated the measure is unlikely to reach the chamber floor for a vote, North Carolina Public Radio reports. Without the support of House Republicans, the bill is likely dead for the year.
Moore, who opposes the reforms, told WRAL News that he won’t consider the measure as the state’s legislative session winds down and did not say whether the chamber would hold a vote on the bill in the future.
“I want to see where our folks are on it. I really do. 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.” — Moore to WRAL
An April poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of WRAL found that 72% of North Carolina voters support medical cannabis legalization, with 18% opposed. The poll also found a majority (57%) of voters back adult-use legalization.
The poll found that 64% of Republicans approve of medical cannabis legalization along with 75% of Democrats.
In a statement to WRAL, Jordan Monaghan, a spokesman for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, said the governor “supports efforts to make medical marijuana available.” Lawmakers this session passed a bill to legalize medical cannabis were the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do so first and Cooper is still assessing that measure.
The FDA-oriented bill requires the agency first approve cannabis as a prescription drug, then the Drug Enforcement Administration must make the proper change to federally controlled substance schedules, and finally, a North Carolina commission would have to not object to the change.
The broad medical cannabis legalization bill had been approved by the Senate 35-10.
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