New North Carolina Bill Would Legalize Medical Marijuana For Patients Enrolled In A ‘Registered Research Study’

A newly filed bill in North Carolina would narrowly legalize medical marijuana, allowing access for individuals enrolled in a “registered research study.”

Titled the Cannabis Treatment Research Act, HB 984 would allow patients and caregivers to register with the state, which in turn would permit legal possession of up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana. It’s sponsored by Rep. Julia Greenfield (D) and five other Democratic lawmakers.

The three-page bill would create a Cannabis Treatment Research Database under the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). To qualify for the program, patients would need to be enrolled in a study conducted by a hospital, university, lab, pharmaceutical manufacturer or private medical research company that is registered with DHHS and has entered a study into the state research database.

The legislation specifies no age limit for patients, but registered caregivers would need to be at least 18. As for qualifying conditions, it lists no specific maladies but mandates that patients obtain a signed statement from “a physician with whom the patient has a bona fide physician-patient relationship indicating that, in the physician’s professional opinion, the patient has a medical condition and the potential health benefits of the medical use of cannabis would likely outweigh the health risks for the patient.”

It’s not immediately clear how accessible the research-focused program would be in practice, though it appears that authors intend the program to be relatively open.

The measure states, for example, that it’s the General Assembly’s intent “that any physician who issues a written certification to a patient be permitted to participate in objective scientific research.” It also defines research broadly to include “the development of quality control, purity, and labeling standards for cannabis; sound advice and recommendations on the best practices for the safe and efficient medical use of cannabis; and analysis of genetic and healing properties of the many varied strains of cannabis to determine which strains may be best suited for a particular medical condition or treatment.”

In addition to legalizing possession among registered patients and caregivers, the bill shields from liability both research institutions and their employees. It also specifies that the identities of patients, caregivers and research institutions be shielded from public record, though in some cases it allows records to be provided to law enforcement.

The Democrat-led measure was introduced on Thursday in the House of Representatives. Lawmakers—including Senate President Phil Berger (R)—have said they’re deferring to the House on medical marijuana reform this session, but it’s not clear whether HB 984 is the only bill that will be introduced in that chamber.

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Montana Lawmakers Pass Marijuana Bill To Set Zero-Tolerance THC Limit For Drivers Under 21

Advocates are warning that a bill passed by Montana’s legislature aimed at reducing marijuana-impaired driving by people under 21 would put younger medical cannabis patients at risk and criminalize minors who may have used the drug days earlier but are otherwise entirely sober.

The state House of Representatives voted on Friday to pass the measure—SB 508, from Sen. Willis Curdy (D)—which the Senate approved in early March. It next proceeds to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte (R).

Reform advocates are asking their supporters to urge a veto from the governor, noting that the proposal includes mandatory jail time for offenders and claiming that young drivers could be tested and charged after an accident that wasn’t their fault even if they weren’t impaired.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) said in an email about the bill that it would create an “extreme standard for drivers under 21, making it a DUI offense to have any detectable THC or certain metabolites in their system.”

“It would criminalize sober young drivers who are state-legal medical cannabis patients, people who tested positive after using legal CBD products, and people who were exposed to cannabis second-hand,” the group said. “Since THC can remain in the bloodstream and urine days after its effects have worn off, this approach would criminalize and incarcerate young Montanans who are completely unimpaired.”

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for MPP, said the House passed the bill after lawmakers made misleading statements about marijuana legality among people younger than 21 as well as circumstances under which minors would be tested.

In floor debate, Rep. Steven Kelly (R) said that marijuana use is already illegal for people under 21 and that minors would need to exhibit signs of impairment—such as bloodshot eyes or inhibited speech—in order to be tested.

But MPP points out that Illinois’s medical marijuana program allows patient use by people 21 and under with a doctor’s recommendation, and minors can also legally use hemp-based CBD products that in some cases can cause positive THC tests, especially when screening for trace amounts.

The group also noted that nothing in the bill appears to actually require evidence of impairment, meaning drivers could be tested even if there’s no sign they’re actually under the influence of the drug.

“There is no need for this unjust, overbroad law,” MPP said in its email, adding that “Montana already criminalizes impaired driving,” including with a per se THC blood limit of 5 nanograms per milliliter.”

MPP also put out a call to action asking supporters to urge Gianforte to veto SB 508.

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Massachusetts Couple Accused of ‘Kidnapping’ Their Own Five Children from State Custody

A Massachusetts couple is facing serious charges after allegedly kidnapping their five children, who had been placed in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Isael Rivera, 31, and Ruth Encarnacion, 30, were located by Fitchburg Police in early March, after a multi-state manhunt.

The couple is accused of taking the children across state lines in an attempt to evade DCF intervention.

Authorities believe the family fled Massachusetts shortly before the state attempted to enforce child protective measures, according to WCVB 5.
Rivera, the biological father of four of the five children, was arraigned last week in Fitchburg District Court. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and he is currently being held without bail, WHDH reported.

Encarnacion, the mother of all five children, is scheduled to be arraigned this week and faces five counts of kidnapping a minor by a relative. A not-guilty plea has also been entered on her behalf.

According to law enforcement, the family went missing just as DCF prepared to remove the children from Encarnacion’s care on February 27.

Encarnacion’s sister reported her missing days later on March 3, citing a lack of contact since February 26. DCF officially reported the five children missing on March 5, triggering a state and federal search.

Court documents indicate that DCF had opened a case against the couple in February after a pediatrician flagged signs of neglect involving the youngest child, a 9-month-old.

DCF intervened shortly thereafter, but by then, the family had reportedly left Massachusetts.

According to unconfirmed reports, they told their pediatrician they were skipping vaccines for their baby.

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Asking Someone to “Speak English” in England Could Be a Hate Crime, Police Warn

An elderly man in the UK has been warned by police that telling someone to “speak English” in England could be considered a hate crime. A video of the incident, currently going viral across social media, begins with the officer asking a man for video evidence after he allegedly told someone to “speak English,” explaining that such a remark might be classified as a hate crime.

The officer said, “Apparently, during some conversations between yourself, apparently, you’ve alleged—we weren’t here, so I don’t know you’ve said it—but you’ve alleged to say, ‘Speak English,’ or words to that effect?”

The elderly man responded, “I said ‘Speak clearly.’”

A woman off-camera then explained that the man was deaf and had simply asked the person to “speak clearly” so he could understand them. Despite the clarification, the officer presses the issue, explaining that such a remark could be perceived as a hate crime.

“That’s fine,” the officer replied. “That’s why we’ve just come to speak because potentially someone could perceive that as a hate crime. If someone said to me, ‘Officer, I believe this,’ then we need to look at it because someone is potentially reporting it as a hate crime.”

The video surfaces amid escalating tensions in the UK, where many native Britons feel that the establishment is enforcing a two-tier system of policing and justice—one that, in their view, unfairly marginalizes them under the pretext of uplifting “global majority” groups.

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POLICE STATE: Loudoun County Child Protective Services Took a 1-Month-Old Breastfeeding Baby from Her Mother and Navy Veteran Father at Gunpoint — Without Charges, a Crime, or Due Process

A U.S. Navy veteran and his wife were subjected to the full weight of the government’s iron fist as Child Protective Services—backed by armed deputies—stormed their home and seized their one-month-old, breastfeeding infant.

There was no warrant. No due process. No criminal charge.

This happened not in communist China, nor in North Korea. It happened in suburban Virginia. In America. In 2025.

Farzin Yazdani, a Navy veteran, father, and respected engineer, has become the latest victim of a weaponized family court system—a system increasingly aligned with radical bureaucrats and progressive ideologues who seem hellbent on dismantling the American family under the guise of state welfare.

“I’m begging everybody who’s reading this that there’s a crime in progress currently, Loudoun County Government has abducted and falsely imprisoned a one-month-old breastfeeding baby from its innocent mother. Please spread the story far and wide. Interact with it like it Do whatever the algorithm needs to spread this story for the love of God,” Yazdani wrote on X.

Loudoun County Child Protective Services (CPS), flanked by armed deputies from the sheriff’s department, stormed the Yazdani home in what the father describes as a “coordinated ambush” based on a false affidavit from a bitter ex-wife embroiled in a custody battle.

The infant—completely healthy, cared for, and bonded to her mother—was removed with zero regard for constitutional rights, familial bonds, or even basic human decency.

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Mother Arrested, Held In Police Cell In UK, For Confiscating Her Own Daughters’ iPads

A mother was arrested and jailed for seven hours after she confiscated iPads from her own children because she wanted them to concentrate on their homework.

It’s the latest insane story of police overreach from the backwards UK, where stabbings are just an everyday occurrence and robberies are not even investigated, but people saying mean words about the ‘wrong’ things are thrown in prison.

Now responsible parenting is the target.

The LBC report notes:

History teacher Vanessa Brown, 50, spent seven-and-a-half hours in a custody cell on March 26 this year, following a claim she had stolen two iPads which were traced to her mother’s house in Cobham, Surrey.

Yet it transpired that the two devices belonged to her daughters, and Ms Brown had merely confiscated them to encourage them to focus on their schoolwork, a fact Surrey Police has now acknowledged.

“I find it quite traumatic even talking about this now,” Ms Brown recalled.

“At no point did they [the officers] think to themselves, ‘Oh, this is a little bit of an overreaction for a moment, confiscating temporarily her iPads and popping over to her mum’s to have a coffee’. It was just a complete overreaction.

It isn’t made exactly clear who reported the iPads stolen, but it seems to have been the ex-partner of the woman.

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Canada: Mark Carney Vows Internet Speech Crackdown if Elected, Citing Online “Pollution” of Misogyny, Conspiracies

It was supposed to be a routine campaign pit stop, the kind of low-stakes political affair where candidates smile like used car salesmen and dish out platitudes thicker than Ontario maple syrup. Instead, Mark Carney found himself dodging verbal bricks in a Hamilton hall, facing hecklers who lobbed Jeffrey Epstein references like Molotovs. No rebuttal, no denial. Just a pivot worthy of an Olympic gymnast, straight to the perils of digital discourse.

“There are many serious issues that we’re dealing with,” he said, ignoring the criticism that had just lobbed his way. “One of them is the sea of misogyny, antisemitism, hatred, and conspiracy theories — this sort of pollution online that washes over our virtual borders from the United States.”

Ah yes, the dreaded digital tide. Forget inflation or the fact that owning a home now requires a GoFundMe. According to Carney, the real catastrophe is memes from Buffalo.

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North Carolina Lawmakers Are Considering At Least Nine Bills To Regulate Intoxicating Hemp-Derived Products

North Carolina lawmakers have proposed at least nine bills this year that seek more regulation on the sale and purchase of gummies, drinks and vaping products containing compounds from hemp.

Most of the bills seek to make it illegal for youth to buy snacks, drinks and vape products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids or to keep them off school property. Legislators and sheriffs talked about one of the bills, House Bill 680, The Protect Children from Cannabis Act, at a Wednesday news conference.

The bill would make it illegal for shops to sell consumables containing hemp compounds without a permit, and would make it illegal for people under 21 to buy them. The Alcohol Beverage Control Commission and Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) would have investigative and enforcement powers.

“Currently, there’s no age restriction on purchasing these intoxicating cannabinoids, and children do use these and buy these every day,” said Rep. Timothy Reeder (R-Pitt), one of the bill’s primary sponsors.

Onslow County Sheriff Chris Thomas said vape shops have opened near schools in his county to take advantage of the young customer base.

It appears sellers are focusing on young customers, he said, “because the young clientele is a customer for a long time.”

An effort to regulate snacks containing hemp cannabinoids and banning the products from schools faltered last year when the state Senate attached medical marijuana legalization to a House bill. The House and Senate have been at an impasse over medical marijuana for several years.

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Liberal Canadian PM Mark Carney Runs on Banning Free Speech if Elected Canadian Prime Minister

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to crack down on free speech in his latest campaign stop in Hamilton, Canada.

He’s actually running on banning speech in his country in the final weeks of the election. The 2025 Canadian federal election is scheduled for April 28.

Mark Carney is taking over where Marxist Justin Trudeau left off.

Mark Carney: “There are many serious issues that we’re dealing with. One of them is the sea of misogyny, antisemitism, hatred, and conspiracy theories — this sort of pollution online that washes over our virtual borders from the United States… The more serious thing is when it affects how people behave in our society. When Canadians are threatened going to their community centers or their places of worship or their school or, God forbid, when it affects our children. My government, if elected will be taking action.”

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Military Veterans Slam DoD’s Reinstatement Form for Forcing Them to Lie About Separation — Demands They Say It Was “Voluntary” and Made “Freely and Without Coercion”

Conservative military veterans are sounding the alarm over a new Department of Defense reinstatement form that they say whitewashes the truth about their forced separations during the COVID-19 vaccine mandate era.

Veterans who once wore the uniform with honor are now being told that if they want back in, they must lie on paper and pretend they left the military of their own free will.

The Department of Defense has released updated guidance officially inviting back thousands of service members who were involuntarily separated for refusing to comply with the now-defunct COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The move comes under Executive Order 14184, signed by President Donald Trump on January 27, 2025, and implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The order compels the Pentagon to offer reinstatement to any military personnel—active or reserve—who were forced out solely for refusing the COVID shot.

The new policy outlines a comprehensive process for both involuntary and voluntary separations.

For those involuntarily discharged, the Military Departments are tasked with identifying and contacting eligible former service members, offering them reinstatement through the Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCM/NRs).

The process includes medical pre-screening, expedited record reviews, and potential financial benefits like back pay, restored rank, and credit for lost service time, subject to offsets such as wages earned post-separation.

Reinstatement requires a four-year service commitment, with a two-year option for those nearing retirement eligibility.

Service members who voluntarily left or allowed their service to lapse to avoid vaccination can also apply to return.

They must submit a sworn statement attesting to their decision and meet retention standards.

While re-accession restores rank and pay, it does not include back pay or other retroactive benefits unless pursued separately through standard BCM/NR processes.

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