A North Carolina Senate committee on Tuesday gave approval to a revised bill to make legal the use of medical marijuana in the state. This decision was arrived one week after the committee held a hearing to talk about the legislation and okay the changes, but no votes were cast in favor or against the decision.
Now that the bill has secured Senate committee approval, it must now clear the Senate Health Care and Rules and Operations Committees for it to be tabled in the Senate floor before being presented at the House of Representatives and then make its way to the Governor's desk.
It must be noted at this point that an earlier version of the Bill had cleared Judiciary and another committee in July, but it was re-referred earlier this month. As per the proposed Bill, patients can have direct access to cannabis if they have a debilitating medical condition like cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The proposed bill was changed to allow patients with terminal illnesses and have six months to live, as well as those with conditions resulting in hospice care, to also qualify for cannabis. As per the Bill, patients could possess up to one and a half ounces of cannabis, but home cultivation would not be allowed under the law.
According to reports, the definition of what constitutes a cannabis-infused product was changed in the latest substitute version. The definition was changed to include the following products - a tablet, a capsule, a concentrated liquid or viscous oil, a liquid suspension, a topical preparation, a transdermal preparation, a sublingual preparation, a gelatinous cube, gelatinous rectangular cuboid, lozenge in a cube or rectangular cuboid shape, a resin or wax.
As per the bill, a total of 10 medical marijuana suppliers will have control over the cultivation and sale of cannabis in the State. The bill allows each supplier to operate a maximum of up to four dispensaries.
The new bill also makes way for the smoking and vaping of marijuana. Doctors, however, must prescribe a specific method of delivery and dosages for patients as per the new legislation. They would need to reassess the patients' eligibility for the program once a year always.
Commenting on the developments, DeVaughn Ward, senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, said, "We're encouraged that SB711 has been advanced by the Judiciary Committee. This a crucial hurdle that has been cleared on the road to full passage".
Under the bill, a 13-member Compassionate Use Advisory Board would be set up and it can add new qualifying medical conditions, which would require marijuana treatment. Separately, a nine-member Medical Cannabis Production Commission would also be created to ensure that there's an adequate supply of cannabis for patients, oversee licensing and generate enough revenue to regulate the program.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Health News
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.