It's Decriminalized (Sort of):

The first thing to know about marijuana in the Old North State is that, unlike many of its Dixie neighbors, marijuana has been decriminalized. The penalty for possession of up to half an ounce of cannabis is more akin to a parking violation, with no possibility of jail time and a $200 fine. Don’t let this lull you into complacency, however, as possession of greater amounts still carries hefty fines and sentences, with such larger amounts often carrying the presumption of an intent to sell or distribute as well, which can land you a one way ticket to Upstate University for months, if not years.

Medical Marijuana advocates in North Carolina have not been resting on their laurels, either. House Bill 78, though recently killed by the N.C. House Judiciary Committee in March of this year, marks the latest step in incremental progress toward an end to marijuana prohibition. The bill had broad support from medical marijuana users, including many military veterans, and a group called Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition.

However, the bill faced steep opposition in a notoriously conservative legislature. The N.C. Values Coalition and the Christian Action League, two conservative lobbying groups, spoke out against the bill back in March, calling it a “slippery slope” that could pave the way to full legalization.

Supporters of medical marijuana have not given up the ghost just yet. There is another proposal currently before the House Judiciary Committee, House Bill 317, which would legalize marijuana for terminally ill patients in hospice care.

Rope, Not Dope:

But this is not the end of the story. Out of the ashes of this most recent attempt at marijuana legalization arose an unlikely win for an ally of the legalization movement: legal hemp

Despite the fact that you would have to literally smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole to get high off of hemp, it was illegal in North Carolina due to its association with marijuana. That all changed on November 1, 2015, when Senate Bill 313 was signed into law, paving the way for a pilot program for legal hemp in North Carolina. Less than 50 acres likely will be planted in the first year, growing to about 1,200 acres in the second year. landowners will be allowed to produce and harvest cannabis sativa with less than 0.3% THC.

To be part of the pilot program, hemp farmers would be required to obtain a license from the newly created N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission. North Carolina is also home to one of the country’s only decortication plants, a facility that processes hemp to sell to textile manufacturers and other users.. Owned by Hemp, Inc., the multimillion-dollar plant is set to start production within months at a cavernous warehouse outside the tiny Nash County town of Spring Hope.

Hemp is a source of very strong natural fiber and highly nutritional seeds. Hemp is useful for creating 25,000 products, including fabrics, paper, car parts, as well as an oil extract that can be used to treat epilepsy. A recently passed law allows for the distribution of hemp oil to terminally ill patients in the state.

Of course, even something as benign as the legalization of hemp will attract detractors. The aforementioned Christian Action League took a strong stance against hemp legalization, once again dusting off slippery slope arguments in favor of maintaining Prohibition. This time, however, they were unsuccessful, and hemp will be the newest cash crop for North Carolina in 2016, which would help offset recent losses as tobacco sales have declined for state farmers over the last few years.