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A bill to legalize cannabis for medical consumption in North Carolina has passed through to a second Senate committee. Senators Bill Rabon (R) , Paul Lowe (D) , and Mike Lee (R) are the primary sponsors for the bill titled Senate Bill 3.&nbsp;
<h2 id="0">SB3 - The Compassionate Care Act</h2>
Senate Bill 3, titled the Compassionate Care Act, is a bill that would legalize the medical use of cannabis for medical marijuana patients in the state of North Carolina. This bill would only legalize the use of cannabis for medical marijuana patients, meaning those people who go through the State&rsquo;s process to get a medical marijuana card.&nbsp;
Last week when introducing the bill, Senator Rabon said &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve spent three years on this bill. Hopefully this will be the last year. The only change in existing state law is to protect patients and their doctors from criminal charges and penalties and not change laws governing marijuana for non-medical purposes.&rdquo;
Aside from the support from the 3 bipartisan senators, there are more than 10 cosponsors for the bill. The bill sponsors are emphasizing to the public that this is not a bill to allow recreational usage, it&rsquo;s only for medical patients who could benefit from cannabis.&nbsp;
Last year, a similar medical cannabis bill passed through the Senate with Bipartisan support, but died in the House. People in North Carolina expect SB3 to clear through the Senate, then to once again face issues in the House. The difference between last year is the introduction of new members in the lower chamber of the House, who are likely to support the bill.
<h3 id="1">Where Would Patients Buy Medical Marijuana From?</h3>
Senate Bill 3 would allow for up to 10 medical marijuana suppliers to cultivate and sell cannabis to up to 8 dispensaries each. Unfortunately, there is no support for home cultivation in this bill, so patients would have to purchase cannabis from medical marijuana dispensaries.
Under SB3, cannabis patients would need to get a doctor&rsquo;s prescription that states the required cannabis dosage and consumption method. Doctor&rsquo;s would also be required to reevaluate their patients' conditions every year.
If <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/626019072/Senate-Bill-3#from_embed">SB3</a> were to pass, patients with one or more qualifying medical conditions would have access to legal medical cannabis. The list of qualifying conditions includes Cancer, HIV, AIDS, epilepsy, Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, PTSD, multiple sclerosis, and many more. You can find the full list below.
<h3 id="2">What Would It Cost To Apply For A Medical Marijuana Dispensary License In North Carolina?</h3>
For first year suppliers, there is a non-refundable license fee of $50,000 plus $5,000 for every production facility or medical cannabis dispensary the applicant wishes to operate under that license. License renewal fees would be $10,000 per $5,000 for each production facility or medical cannabis dispensary the applicant is operating under that license.&nbsp;&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s not all, there&rsquo;s some more requirements to apply for a medical cultivation or dispensary license in North Carolina. You must have been a State resident for 2 years or more at the time of application, and most importantly, you must have sufficient liquid and non-liquid assets to operate as a supplier for two years as a part of the medical cannabis supply system. This requirement takes out a lot of the little guys, as you&rsquo;d need at least $10M to $15M to have a chance.
<h3 id="3">List Of Qualifying Conditions For a Medical Marijuana Card in North Carolina</h3>
Unlike other states, North Carolina does not allow for patients with chronic pain to get a card. Even though that isn&rsquo;t included, there are a lot of other qualifying conditions that would make someone eligible to use medical cannabis. The full list of qualifying conditions are:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cancer,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Epilepsy,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">HIV</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">AIDS</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">ALS</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Crohn&rsquo;s Disease</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sickle Cell Anemia</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Parkinson&rsquo;s Disease</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">PTSD</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Multiple sclerosis</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Severe or persistent nausea</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Terminal illness with a life expectancy of less than 6 months</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A condition resulting in the individual receiving hospice care</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Any other serious medical condition or its treatment added by the Compassionate Use Advisory Board, as provided for in G.S.90-113.113.</li>
</ul>
There are thousands of people living in North Carolina who could benefit from the usage of medical cannabis. Hopefully this time around state lawmakers can see the benefits that legal cannabis could bring so that they can finally legalize it.