RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) – Marijuana could be made legal in North Carolina if a newly filed bill were to pass.
The bill was filed Monday, March 17 in the N.C. House of Representatives by a group of Democratic lawmakers. Officially known as H.B. 413, legislators titled the bill the “Marijuana Legalization and Reinvestment Act.”
If the bill were to pass as is, it would make it legal for anyone 21 years or older to buy, sell, transport, grow and consume marijuana.
The bill would not place restrictions on how marijuana could be consumed; however, other restrictions would be put in place. A handful of notable restrictions are listed below:
Marijuana must be grown out of public view, including from another private propertyMarijuana could only be grown on property owned by the grower, or where permission has been grantedIt would be illegal to smoke marijuana in public placesIt would be illegal to use marijuana when driving a car or boatLandlords/property managers could prohibit smoking marijuanaVarious possession limits
In addition to making marijuana legal, the House bill also proposed a method for taxing any potential sales. Buyers would have to pay an excise tax equivalent to 30% of the sales price. Municipalities would then also have an option to add a two-percent tax. People who are registered medical cannabis patients would be exempt from both the excise and local taxes.
Of the money raised by state marijuana taxes, a combined 50% would be allocated to two proposed funds, as well as research and substance abuse programs. The other 50% would be deposited into the state’s General Fund.
A new bill could make it legal to buy, sell and use marijuana recreationally in North Carolina.(Julio Cortez | AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Based on the bill, any businesses that wish to sell marijuana or any cannabis products would have to first register with and be approved by the state. The bill does, though, give municipalities the power to enact ordinances that ban businesses from opening; however, marijuana could still be delivered in those municipalities and consumption would still be legal.
Another key part of the bill is that if it were to pass, anyone charged with marijuana offenses that would be legal under the new bill would have those convictions expunged no later than July 1, 2028.
North Carolina would become the 25th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use if H.B. 413 were to pass.
Of the seven sponsors who signed onto the bill, two — Reps. Jordan Lopez and Aisha O. Dew — are from Mecklenburg County. In fact, Lopez was the one who filed the bill.
After he filed the bill, Lopez took to social media, where he claimed that “a majority” of North Carolinians want to see marijuana legalized, and called the conversation “long overdue.”
State legislative records showed that as of March 18, no action had been taken on the bill after it was filed. The full bill can be read here.
According to an Associated Press report, recreational marijuana sales started on Cherokee tribal lands in North Carolina last year, despite it being illegal elsewhere across the state.
Also Read: Recreational marijuana sales begin on North Carolina tribal land, drug illegal in state otherwise
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