North Carolina: State-Appointed Advisory Council Calls on Lawmakers to Legalize and Regulate the Adult-Use Cannabis Market
- An advisory council appointed by the North Carolina Governor recommends lawmakers regulate the licensed sale of cannabis products to adults through a well-structured market framework.
- The council highlights that legal, state-licensed retail cannabis outlets will enable safer access, generate tax revenue, support public health initiatives, and ensure effective compliance and enforcement.
- NORML supports the council’s recommendations, emphasizing that legalization provides sensible controls, raises revenue, supports public health efforts, and ends the high rate of arrests for minor marijuana possession.
- North Carolina currently has the second-largest unregulated cannabis market, with over 100,000 marijuana-related arrests since 2018, mostly for simple possession; the council’s final report is expected in December.
An advisory council appointed by the Governor is recommending lawmakers enact regulations overseeing the licensed sale of cannabis products to adults.
An interim report issued last week by the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis concludes: “The status quo is not an option. … The Council agrees that a well-regulated market … is a safer market. … Under this framework, adults would be permitted to legally purchase, possess, and use cannabis through state-licensed retail outlets. … It allows for structured licensing fees and tax revenue to support oversight, the development of clear and enforceable rules, sustained public health messaging grounded in prevention and education, and dedicated resources for compliance and enforcement.”
Members of the Council include representatives of the state’s health department, law enforcement, and Office of Budget and Management, among other groups. The Council has met bi-monthly for the better part of the past year.
Responding to the Council’s recommendations, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “Lawmakers would be well advised to act upon the Council’s recommendations, which align with the views of most North Carolinians. Legalization doesn’t create the cannabis market; this market is already here. But legalizing and regulating this market provides the opportunity to introduce sensible controls and best practices, while also raising new revenue and bolstering public health efforts. Equally important, it ends the failed, destructive practice of arresting tens of thousands of North Carolinians annually for minor marijuana possession violations.”
Currently, North Carolina is home to the second-largest unregulated cannabis market in the nation.
Under state law, low-level marijuana possession (half an ounce or less) is classified as a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine but no jail. Since 2018, state and local police have made over 100,000 marijuana-related arrests. Over 93 percent of those arrested were charged with simple possession.
The Council’s final report is due to the legislature in December.
The full text of the Advisory Council on Cannabis Draft Interim Report is available from NC Department of Health and Human Services.