Post-Crossover Lobbyist Report

As reported earlier, the reality is that passing a bill is more likely with bipartisan sponsors. That is why we worked so hard to find Republican sponsors. Both S711 (Rabon, Lee, Lowe) and H858 (Martin, Faircloth) have bipartisan sponsors. Neither has been reassigned to a substance committee yet, which is true of the Democratic sponsored bills as well. Although we had hoped for action by “crossover”, bills with budget or tax implications can be amended and passed at any point before the end of the session in the summer of 2022.  Pharmacists, the MS Society, cannabis businesses, and maybe others are offering language changes to the bill that will slow the process. It is very important that you continue to contact your legislators to have hope for medical cannabis by the summer of 2022. Physicians should decide the medical conditions, dose and treatment of medical cannabis.

We’ve launched a petition to tell legislators that their constituents support immediate access to medical cannabis. www.ncnorml.org/petition You can also print and post paper versions to gather signatures and email full sheets to us at [email protected] so they can be added to the master petition. Help get 10s of thousands in a month’s time. 

Sign the new Petition encouraging the General Assembly to act this year!
Electronically sign the petition to show how many North Carolinians are ready for cannabis access now. Please share it everywhere and consider printing copies to have your customers sign and scan to email NC NORML.

Action Alert: Copy and email your legislators the following info about crime reductions with legalization:

Medical cannabis is available to a majority of Americans, but North Carolinians don’t have equal liberty and still risk arrest for possession.

A flurry of bills have been introduced with different content. Our mission is to continue educating legislators that cannabis is medicine, is safe, and reduces traffic fatalities and crashes.

Quick Actions:

• Calls
• Celebrate
• Internship Applications

We’ve been asking you to email leadership, but at the moment, the most impact will come from CALLING  House Health, Rules, and Agriculture Committee Chairs and other House leaders. Over the next week, the number of calls really matters!

Lobbyist Report - 5 minutes per week for the next 8 weeks will get us closer.
Janis Ramquist, the NC NORML pro-bono lobbyist, has been pounding the marble at the General Assembly, and legislators are mentioning us now. Please keep emailing every week (details below).

Before we get into this call to action, have you seen HB 290 - Make Certain Drug Offenses Infractions? If your Representative cosponsored this bill, please call or email your thanks!

Cannabis Legalization Could Yield Millions in Medicaid Savings Annually.

Two quick items before jumping into this week’s action.
1. HUGE shout-out to Wake county advocates who delivered an official letter on behalf of NC NORML to the NCGA in Raleigh which supplies all the FACTS to counter negative law enforcement BELIEFS. Check out the short letter here.
2. Want to get involved? The next NC NORML Orientation is coming up next Sunday! Register here.

Nurses and healthcare providers - Please email Janis Ramquist NC NORML Government Affairs Consultant to help reach healthcare legislators to support medical cannabis. Other legislators will be looking to them for their opinions.

A recent Elon University Poll, easily recognized as the “poll of record in North Carolina”, found that 73 percent of adult residents support legalizing medical marijuana in North Carolina.

Before we get into this call to action, make sure that you have read the Elon Poll hot off the presses!

Please Copy, Paste, and email to the NC Senator and Representative(s) in your county

NC NORML makes it easy for you to provide important information to your legislators with the Weekly Nuggets.

Please educate your legislators about the history of cannabis and that 73% of North Carolinians support legalizing medical cannabis.

We don’t have traditional influences like PACs (Political Action Committees give to campaigns), businesses, lobbyists, etc. so we need to be creative.