WeedLife News Network

North Carolinians overwhelmingly want to see medical marijuana legalized, according to a new Elon University poll.

RALEIGH -  The state commission charged with fostering an industrial hemp industry in North Carolina is considering joining a lawsuit against a government agency that it agrees is making things difficult: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The prospect of growing industrial hemp for a living in Rowan County is apparently a hot topic.

ASHEBORO — City officials approved a zoning permit for what may be the first hemp food processing plant in North Carolina.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.

If passed, House Bill 983 would legalize the use of medical marijuana in North Carolina.

Industrial hemp was made legal in North Carolina last week as a result of Gov. Pat McCrory not vetoing or signing the bill after allowing it to sit on his desk for weeks. 

The text of Senate Bill 313 states: “The General Assembly finds and declares that it is in the best interest of the citizens of North Carolina to promote and encourage the development of an industrial hemp industry in the State in order to expand employment, promote economic activity, and provide opportunities to small farmers for an environmentally sustainable and profitable use of crop lands that might otherwise be lost to agricultural production.”

The bill also mandates the creation of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Commission. This entity will have the responsibility to “establish procedures for reporting to the Commission … for agricultural or academic research and to collaborate and coordinate research efforts with the appropriate departments or programs of North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University.”

Click here to read the complete article