The Carolinas + Cannabis: Can’t we all just chill?
6 minute read
Well, it’s 4/20, and I can’t help but wonder— can’t we all just chill? I’m serious, y’all. It seems like North and South Carolina both have a dated understanding of Marijuana, Cannabis, Weed, Ganja— whatever you want to call it. Whenever I have questions about why things are the way they are, I turn to the people in charge. In the Carolinas, the people in charge of our chill (or lack thereof) are our legislatures. So, to celebrate 4/20, let’s take a look into the Carolinas and Cannabis.
We know that people of color face harsher punishments and higher scrutiny from law enforcement when it comes to marijuana possession and sale. This reaction is enabled by legislation that criminalizes marijuana. And it follows the trend of racist policing that leads to higher incarceration rates among Black and Brown people. Both Carolinas are in the top 10 for state-level possession arrests. We could get into more of how and why that happens, but for now, let’s get into how these decisions are made.
Before I dive into where the Carolinas are now, it’s worth understanding how we got here. In the last decade, states all over the country started legalizing marijuana. This was accomplished in a variety of ways. Some states had ballot measures, while others used the legislature to pass more lenient laws. (Scroll down to learn more about the other 48 states and their progress.) As our peers move into the future, for some reason, the Carolinas are stuck in the (wait for it) puff, puff, PAST. (I had to, I’m so sorry.)
Anyway, it’s worth taking a look at proposed legislation and public sentiment in the Carolinas on this dank divisive issue.
North Carolina
In North Carolina, cannabis is illegal except for limited medicinal use. House Bill 626 would legalize and regulate the use, possession, and sale of cannabis. Advocates for the bill say it is a step toward bringing North Carolina’s laws and commerce into the 21st century.
“People have been smoking cannabis from time immemorial, and up until the 1930s, it was essentially legal. What we're trying to do now is to restore that legality," Representative Kelly Alexander (D) , a sponsor of House Bill 626 said.
So far, HB 626 hasn’t had a committee hearing, but another bill on Medical Marijuana is making waves. Senate Bill 3, the Compassionate Care Act, would allow medicinal use for people with cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, and other illnesses. The bill does not, however, include use for chronic pain or recreation. Senator Paul Lowe (D), the bill sponsor, has a “gut feeling” the bill will pass this session. Fingers crossed.
An April 2022 poll showed 57% of North Carolina voters support legalizing cannabis for adults, while only 32% believe recreational marijuana should remain illegal. Idk y’all; the odds may be in our favor. The only thing stopping these bills and many others from moving forward is political will— the public sentiment is there.
South Carolina
A recent Winthrop Poll from April 2023 found that 76% of South Carolinians favor legalizing medical marijuana prescribed by a doctor. This statistic was gathered from a group of South Carolinians— both Republicans and Democrats.
“Support for medical marijuana in South Carolina has steadily grown over the years, especially as other states have moved towards legalization without an apparent collapse of society,” Dr. Scott Huffmon, Winthrop’s Poll Director, said.
South Carolinians are, however, split on the question of recreational use.
In the General Assembly, Marijuana found its match in Senators Tom Davis (R) and Mia McLeod (D). McLeod sponsored legislation that would remove Marijuana from Schedule I. Schedule I drugs are harmful substances like Heroin and Fentanyl, so the fact that weed is even in that same category leads to harsher punishments for possession and sale. McLeod’s bill aims to directly address criminalization by retroactive pardoning for people with past convictions if Marijuana were removed from Schedule I. (As of this blog, S. 211 has been assigned to the Medical Affairs Committee, but it has not had a hearing and is unlikely to pass in this session.)
Davis approaches this issue much like North Carolina’s bill of the same name. The Compassionate Care Act would legalize the use of medical marijuana under the prescription and supervision of a licensed physician. Davis broke from many of his Republican peers in advocating for medicinal use and brought stories of South Carolinians living with chronic pain and the ways cannabis could alleviate their pain.
The Senate was deadlocked in March of 2023. In a vote of 20-20, a motion to move the Compassionate Care Act to Special Order failed. Moving a bill to Special Order would have moved it to the top of the Senate Calendar, allowing debate and a floor vote. Since Davis’ bill did not make the crossover deadline, the odds of it passing this session are slim.
Again, these bills are by no means the only discussions happening about legalization or decriminalization so I encourage you to go to your state legislature’s website to learn more (North Carolina/ South Carolina). I also invite you to use the resources below to explore what other states are doing.
Read:
Map of marijuana access across the United States from Rolling Stone, April 18, 2023.
Rolling Stone released a new map of marijuana access for both recreational and medicinal use on April 18, 2023. Their reporting covers all 50 states and where their legislatures stand on the question of whether or not to legalize marijuana.
North and South Carolina, circled to the left, have policies that are less permissive than our peers in the South East.
Read more from Rolling Stone’s reporting and view the access map.
Listen:
Watch:
The push for legalizing marijuana at the state level gained more momentum in 2022. In the fall of 2022, Missouri approved legalization for recreational use, making it the 21st state to do so.
Click play to watch NewsHour Communities Correspondents Gabrielle Hayes in Missouri, Adam Kemp in Oklahoma and Frances Kai-Hwa Wang in Michigan, and Judy Woodruff discuss the changes across the country.