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New bill aims to legalize marijuana in North Carolina, expunge past offenses

By Andrew McMillan, wsoctv.com
March 28, 2023 at 10:58 am EDT

CHARLOTTE — While the North Carolina General Assembly is weighing whether or not to enact a limited medical marijuana bill, seven legislators have introduced a separate bill that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the state.

Senate Bill 346 was filed last week, and it would allow people over the age of 21 in North Carolina to possess small amounts of cannabis.

The state senators who introduced the bill say that “cannabis prohibition, like alcohol prohibition before it, has been a wasteful and destructive failure,” and that prohibition “has had an unfair, disparate impact on persons and communities of color” and “diverts law enforcement resources from violent and property crimes.”

The bill, if passed, would also enact a 20% state tax on the sale, and municipalities would be able to enact another 3% tax. The tax revenues would then be split up between new and existing programs, like this:

25% to a Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund created by the bill.
10% to a Social Equity Fund created by the bill.
3% to a Cannabis Education and Technical Assistance Fund created by the bill.
7% to the Department of Health and Human Services for evidence-based, voluntary programs for substance abuse treatment or prevention.
2% to the DHHS for a public education campaign for youth and adults about the health and safety risks of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other substances, including driving while impaired.
2% to the DHHS for cannabis research.
Up to 1% to the Department of Public Safety for advanced impaired driving enforcement and drug recognition training.
The remaining 50% of the tax revenue would go to the general fund.

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/new-bill-aims-legalize-marijuana-north-carolina-expunge-past-offenses/JDRQWM6VPZBNPHYBHDFONGKTRQ/