Nearly 90% of Over 3,300 Public Comments to North Carolina Cannabis Council Support Some Form of Marijuana Legalization
- Nearly 90% of over 3,300 public comments submitted to North Carolina’s Advisory Council on Cannabis support legalizing at least medical cannabis, with 70.5% favoring general or regulated recreational legalization.
- Of the comments analyzed, 45.4% supported general legalization without specifying adult-use regulations, while 25.1% endorsed regulated recreational marijuana sales for adults 21 and older.
- An additional 17.5% of comments supported an inclusive medical marijuana program allowing comprehensive access to higher-THC products and broad qualifying conditions.
- The Advisory Council on Cannabis, established by Governor Josh Stein in June 2025, is tasked with developing a comprehensive state marijuana policy, with final recommendations due by the end of 2026.
Nearly 90% of over 3.300 public comments submitted to North Carolina’s Advisory Council on Cannabis expressed support for legalizing at least medical cannabis, according to an analysis presented during the council’s meeting today.
Officials presented a breakdown of 3,372 public comments, with 1,531, or 45.4%, categorized as supporting general legalization. Another 848 comments, or 25.1%, supported regulated recreational marijuana sales.
Combined, the two categories accounted for 70.5% of all comments analyzed.
An additional 590 comments, representing 17.5%, supported an inclusive medical marijuana program. Altogether, 88% of comments fell into the categories of general legalization, regulated adult use or comprehensive medical marijuana access.
By comparison, 146 comments, or 4.3%, were categorized as supporting prohibition. Another 45, or 1.3%, supported decriminalization without legal sales or medical or recreational use.
Six comments, or 0.2%, supported a strict medical marijuana system limited to narrow qualifying conditions and low-THC products. Six additional comments were unmatched or blank.
Officials also detailed how comments were categorized, providing important distinctions between the two legalization categories.
The “general legalization” category included comments calling for marijuana to be legalized or prohibition to end without specifying an adult-use regulatory structure. Comments supporting recreational legalization without specifically referencing adults 21 and older were also placed in this category, as were legalization comments mentioning home cultivation.
The “retail adult use regulated” category was reserved for comments explicitly supporting an adult-use regulatory framework, including statements calling for marijuana to be legal for those 21 and older, regulated and taxed, sold through licensed dispensaries or modeled after legal markets in other states.
For medical marijuana, comments were classified as “medical inclusive” when they supported comprehensive access, including higher-THC products and broad qualifying conditions, but did not also call for general legalization. If a commenter supported medical use while also explicitly calling for legalization or an end to prohibition, the comment was instead placed in one of the legalization categories.
The presentation included examples of comments supporting legalization, adult-use regulation, preservation of the state’s existing hemp market and medical marijuana access.
North Carolina’s Advisory Council on Cannabis was established by Governor Josh Stein in June 2025 to develop recommendations for a comprehensive state marijuana policy. The council has been examining regulatory structures, public safety, health, taxation, criminal justice and other issues as it works toward final recommendations due by the end of 2026.