North Carolina Governor And House Speaker Clash On Marijuana Legalization
Wyoming Attorney General Blocks State Marijuana Rescheduling That Would Be Triggered By Trump’s Federal Reform
Kansas Democratic Candidates For Governor Campaign On Marijuana Legalization Support
Most Marijuana Consumers Don’t Believe Trump Administration Will Complete Rescheduling This Year, Poll Shows
Texas Senator Pledges Renewed Effort To Ban Hemp THC Products
Legalizing Marijuana Reduces Personal Bankruptcy Rates As Arrests Decline, Study Shows
THC-Infused Cannabis Beverages Are Helping People Quit Drinking Alcohol, Survey Shows
Marijuana’s ‘Entourage Effect’ Varies By Terpene And Cannabinoid Receptor, New Study Suggests
Marijuana Leads To ‘Robust Improvements’ In Lower Back Pain And ‘Near-Total’ Cessation Of Opioids, Study Finds
Medical Marijuana Significantly Improves Life Enjoyment Among Pain Patients, Study From Minnesota State Officials Shows
State Marijuana Officials Educate World Cup Fans About How To Celebrate Legally And Responsibly While Visiting
WNBA Removes Marijuana From Banned Substances List And Sets Rules For Player Endorsements Of Hemp CBD Products
Americans Say Marijuana Is Less Cool Than Math And Country Music—But Is Cooler Than Guns Or Cryptocurrency, Survey Shows
Politicians And Major Brands Celebrate Cannabis Culture On 4/20
Woody Harrelson And Bill Maher Complain That Marijuana Taxes Are Too High While Smoking Joints At The Dispensary They Own Together
Workers At More Missouri Marijuana Businesses Win Union Fights Following Federal Ruling
New Federal Report Tracks Nearly $15 Billion In Marijuana Revenue Collected By States Over The Last Five Years
States Have Generated Over $28 Billion In Recreational Marijuana Tax Revenue Since The First Legalization Laws Took Effect, Report Shows
Legal Marijuana Revenue Declined For The First Time In 2025, But Rescheduling Could Reverse The Trend, Industry Analysis Finds
Federal Labor Decision Inspires More Missouri Marijuana Workers To Seek Unionization
Most cannabis consumers don’t expect full rescheduling this year, poll shows (Newsletter: July 9, 2026)
Feds issue report on cannabis scales to help state officials set rules (Newsletter: July 8, 2026)
Banking group pushes Congress to pass cannabis bill (Newsletter: July 7, 2026)
Inside DEA’s cannabis rescheduling hearing (Newsletter: July 6, 2026)
DOJ slams ‘pocketbook interests’ opposing cannabis rescheduling (Newsletter: July 3, 2026)
Published
on
By
North Carolina’s Democratic governor and Republican House speaker have a disagreement on marijuana legalization.
Gov. Josh Stein (D), who supports legalizing cannabis, said in a new interview that “we need to have a well-regulated market that puts public safety and public health at its center.”
“It protects kids, and it is available for adult use—because adults are using it, and we can’t put our heads in the sand any longer,” he said.
House Speaker Destin Hall (R), however, said, “I know our caucus has no interest in doing any sort of marijuana, medicinal or otherwise.”
Both leaders’ comments were reported by local news outlet The Assembly, which has been tracking efforts this session to pass legislation to regulate intoxicating hemp products.
A commission that Stein empaneled last year recently issued a report recommending that rather than have separate frameworks for hemp and marijuana, the state should regulate THC as a molecule.
“There actually used to be a distinction in the law,” the governor said in the new interview. “The two plants, naturally grown, had different THC levels. You’d smoke hemp, it would take a whole lot to get you high—and it might not. Once hemp was legalized, both growers and sellers realized you could genetically modify hemp plants and increase the level of THC.”
“Cannabis is cannabis,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to try to distinguish between two varieties of the same plant, and what we really care about is, is this product going to get you high or not? That’s why we must regulate the THC molecule.”
The comments come as a bill to restrict hemp and kratom products that was recently approved by the Senate awaits potential action in the House.
“Our caucus is looking at it,” Hall told reporters, The Assembly noted. “It’s a somewhat complicated bill.”
“Generally, our caucus’ desire is to make sure that we’re keeping the bad products out and not letting people under 21 buy these products,” the speaker said. “Folks basically wanted some time to be able to review it. So we’ll see if it’s something that we do when we come back” later this month.
It’s not clear if Stein would sign a bill that restricts hemp products and doesn’t contain provisions to more fulsomely legally regulate marijuana in line with the state commission’s recommendations.
He acknowledged, however, that getting Hall and other Republicans to come around to backing cannabis legalization wouldn’t be easy—though he also pointed to how views can evolve over time,.
“People change,” the governor said. “Society changes. I can remember when you couldn’t buy alcohol here in the supermarket on a Sunday, and you couldn’t buy wine in a supermarket at all, and you couldn’t get mixed drinks in the majority of the counties in North Carolina. What I’m trying to do is advance the conversation.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers in North Carolina have been considering legislation to legalize medical cannabis for the last several sessions—with the Senate approving several proposals and the House refusing to follow suit.
“Some of the House members are not ready to pass a medical program because they believe that it will usher in recreational use, and that is not what the constituents in those districts want,” Rep. Jeffrey McNeely (R), told The Assembly.
Meanwhile, North Carolina’s Senate president pro tempore recently said that lawmakers will take a more serious look at legalizing medical marijuana following the Trump administration’s move to reschedule cannabis at the federal level.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
The governor-appointed cannabis commission in North Carolina issued a report in April recommending that the state move away from a criminalization-based approach to the plant and toward a system of “robust” regulations that provide for adults’ legal access to THC products.
The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis, which Stein convened last year, says in the new document approved in April that the current “absence of regulation for North Carolina’s intoxicating cannabis market raises numerous concerns,” noting that hemp products are readily available yet largely unregulated and that marijuana remains prohibited altogether in the state, even for medical use.
“Compared to regulated marijuana frameworks in other states, this environment presents identifiable risks,” the interim report says. “While some operators voluntarily implement consumer protection protocols, these safeguards are not required under state law.”
Stein, for his part, thanked the group for its “expertise, hard work, and thoughtful deliberation” in a press release and reiterated his support for legalizing marijuana.
Members are tasked with developing and submitting initial recommendations on a “comprehensive cannabis policy, including any proposed legislation,” with a final report due by December 31 of this year.
During his time as the state’s attorney general, Stein led a separate task force under then-Gov. Roy Cooper (D) that examined racial injustice issues and ultimately recommended decriminalizing marijuana and studying broader legalization in response to racially disparate enforcement trends.
A tribe in North Carolina, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, launched the state’s first marijuana dispensary in 2024—despite the protests of certain Republican congressional lawmakers.
Democratic lawmakers recently filed legislation to allow voters to decide whether to legalize marijuana for personal or medical use at the ballot box this November—though Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R) said the bill is unlikely to advance.
Meanwhile, bipartisan North Carolina lawmakers have been stepping up the push for psychedelics reform legislation.
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 25-year veteran in the cannabis and drug law reform movement, he covers the policy, politics, science and culture of marijuana, psychedelics and other substances. He previously reported for Forbes, Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and was given the Hunter S. Thompson Media Award by NORML and has been named Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. As an activist, Tom founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority and handled media relations, campaigns and lobbying for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Add Marijuana Moment as a preferred source on Google.
All the cannabis news you need, all in one place. Copyright © 2017-2026 Marijuana Moment LLC ® and Tom Angell