Legalized hemp clears NC House ahead of looming deadline
A bill legalizing hemp in North Carolina passed the state House on Wednesday. If the Senate signs off on the final language, it would then advance to Gov. Roy Cooper and become law with his signature.
The measure would permanently exempt hemp from the state's list of controlled substances starting June 30. It also defines hemp as cannabis with less than 0.3% of Delta-9, the chemical in marijuana that produces the drug's high.
Senate Bill 455 cleared both chambers without debate. It passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday and moved through the House on Wednesday with an 86-25 vote.
State lawmakers in 2015 temporarily legalized hemp as part of a pilot program to test its viability as a commercial crop in North Carolina. The legalization is set to expire at the end of the month.
In recent years, efforts to widen the legal definition of permissible hemp products were met with resistance from some law enforcement organizations and social conservative groups, which argued it could create a pathway to marijuana legalization. Those concerns haven’t resurfaced publicly with this year’s bill.
Republican state Rep. Jon Hardister, a Guilford County Republican, said the sheriff’s association and state agriculture department had no objection to the bill. “I’ve not heard from any other law enforcement agencies,” Hardister said while discussing the bill on the floor.
Meanwhile, a bill to legalize medical marijuana for any of 15 qualifying conditions will be heard by the Senate on Thursday. The bill, authored by Republican state Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Onslow, cleared a key committee vote in the chamber on Wednesday.
