× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

HICKORY — Todd Stimson’s potted marijuana plant is a plastic replica. But that didn’t stop the afternoon U.S. 70 traffic from honking and yelling at the trio of men.

Hickory was another city they had to pass on their walk from Asheville to Raleigh. The march on the state’s capital is in support of House Bill 1161 — the controversial bill to legalize cannabis for medical use — Stimson said.

As Stimson explained the group’s purpose, a white SUV pulled into a parking lot, horn blaring. Girls jumped out of the car, expressed their support and snapped a couple photos before driving away. A few minutes later, another car pulled in. A woman hopped out to take a few pictures.

Ray Pague said he is a registered patient in the state of Oregon, where the use of marijuana for medical purposes is legal. In Oregon he’s a post traumatic stress disorder patient, he added. In North Carolina, where he lives now, he’s a criminal.

“I wanted to know why I was treated one way on one side of the country and a different way on the other,” he said.