A new bill could bring big changes to the legality of owning cannabis products in North Carolina.
Currently, North Carolina is one of only a handful of states with no legal avenue for purchasing or selling cannabis. It is decriminalized, meaning possession of small amounts intended for personal use rather than illegal sales will generally mean punishments of civil or local infractions rather than state crimes.
Additionally, a popular loophole in legislation allowing industrial hemp ― marijuana with little to no THC ― has made it possible to get legally stoned, with many N.C. hemp businesses selling products made by extracting legal compounds from cannabis plants or converting other compounds like CBD into intoxicating delta-8 THC.
As reported by the Citizen Times in April, the N.C. Advisory Council on Cannabis wrote in a report that the state’s market for intoxicating cannabis “currently exists in a dangerous policy gap that is neither true prohibition nor meaningful regulation.” In the same report, the council suggested that the state regulate the THC molecule as the intoxicating substance, “rather than continuing the legal but unworkable distinction between marijuana and hemp,” as well as establishing a regulated market for such products and more.
Senate Bill 1072 also addresses the legality of cannabis in the Tar Heel State. However, its effects would be broader than the suggestions made by the recent report, modifying the legality of all cannabis statewide. Here’s everything we know.
Is North Carolina going to legalize marijuana? What is Senate Bill 1072?
While SB 1072 would not make the sale and purchase of marijuana fully legal, it would change things significantly if enacted.
The bill, which is also known as “an act to amend the constitution of North Carolina to provide for the qualified decriminalization and medical use of cannabis,” would make owning “limited amounts of cannabis for personal use” legal. Additionally, the possession of limited amounts of cannabis for medical use by patients with qualifying conditions would no longer be a criminal offense.
In order for the bill to land on ballots in November 2026, lawmakers will have to pass it. SB 1072 passed its first reading on May 5. If the bill does land on ballots, voters will choose between voting for or against:
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“Constitutional amendment allowing the possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use subject to certain conditions enacted by the General Assembly”
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“Constitutional amendment allowing the possession of cannabis for medical use by patients with qualifying conditions subject to certain conditions enacted by the General Assembly”
Is weed legal in Cherokee, North Carolina?
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians voted in 2021 to legalize the sale of medical marijuana within its tribal territory, known as the Qualla Boundary. Cherokee is a sovereign nation that has its own elections, laws, government and institutions that are self-governed and autonomous. That’s why it can make legal the sale of marijuana despite being within North Carolina.
Trinniti Marmon trims marijuana buds at Great Smoky Cannabis Company’s farm in Cherokee, August 8, 2024.
Which states have legal recreational marijuana?
According to a Feb. 10, report from the the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation, the 24 states where marijuana is fully legal include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Which states have legal medical marijuana?
An additional 16 states have legalized marijuana for medical use only, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: North Carolina bill could put marijuana legalization on 2026 ballot
