If signed into law, the bill would legalize the medicinal use of cannabis for patients with one or more specified qualifying serious medical conditions such as cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and others. The bill does not legalize the use of medical marijuana by patients diagnosed with chronic pain however.
Back in January on the 25th the bipartisan bill was introduced by Republican Senators Bill Rabon and Michael Lee and Democratic Senator Paul Lowe.
“The purpose of the bill is to allow for tightly regulated use of medical cannabis, only by those with debilitating illnesses,” Rabon said on the Senate floor before Tuesday’s vote.
“The recreational sale or use of marijuana remains, under this legislation, illegal,” he added.
Under the bill, patients with a qualifying “debilitating medical condition” would be allowed to use medical marijuana. It allows the smoking and vaping of medical cannabis by patients whose doctors have recommended a specific form and dosage of medical marijuana. Physicians would be required to review a patient’s continued eligibility for the medical marijuana program annually. Smoking medical cannabis in public or near schools and churches would not be legal.
The bill requires patients and qualified caregivers to obtain a medical marijuana identification card from the state. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for creating “a secure, confidential, electronic database containing information about qualified patients, designated caregivers, and physicians,” according to the text of the measure. Too add, it creates an 11-member advisory panel appointed by the governor and lawmakers to review proposals for new qualifying medical conditions.
Photo by: BXXXTY
