A new bill in the North Carolina House of Representatives would legalize medical marijuana for patients with a variety of specified conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, end-of-life care and other serious ailments.
The measure, HB 1011, was filed on Tuesday by Rep. Aisha Dew (D) and has been cosponsored by several other Democratic lawmakers.
The 28-page bill, titled the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, is considerably more detailed than a separate Democrat-led medical marijuana bill introduced this week that would allow access only for patients enrolled in a “registered research study.”
Advocates have been awaiting House introduction of a comprehensive bill, especially since Senate President Phil Berger (R) said his chamber is deferring to the House to move first on medical marijuana reform this session.
“Glad to finally see a real medical cannabis bill get introduced,” Kevin Caldwell, Southeast legislative manager for the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project, told Marijuana Moment in an email Wednesday.
The new bill, HB 1011, appears to be based largely on an earlier medical marijuana proposal from Sen. Bill Rabon (R), SB 3, filed in the 2023–2024 legislative session. That measure passed the Senate but failed to advance in the House due to an informal rule that requires a majority of the chamber’s GOP caucus to support a bill in order to bring it to the floor.
Caldwell at MPP said he would have liked to see the new House medical marijuana bill be sponsored by a Republican, which he reasoned would increase its chances of being heard in the GOP-controlled body. But he added that “legislators have known a medical bill has been in the works, and I hope they take this opportunity to provide relief to the tens of thousands of North Carolinians who are suffering from debilitating conditions.”
The new measure says in its findings section that “medical research has found that cannabis and cannabinoid compounds are effective at alleviating pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with several debilitating medical conditions.” A majority of states and four of five U.S. territories have already legalized medical marijuana, it continues, and “North Carolina now takes similar action to preserve and enhance the health and welfare of its citizens.”
Under the proposal, the new medical cannabis program would be overseen by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
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