NC Senate Republicans attempt to revive medical marijuana, again

Medical marijuana legalization is back on the table in North Carolina, after its biggest Republican proponent moved this week to add it to a related bill making its way through the legislature.

Why it matters: State lawmakers have spent years debating how to carefully regulate medical marijuana to no avail.

• And yet, the state is among the most lax in its regulation of hemp products, some of which can offer some of the same psychoactive effects as weed .

Driving the news: This year's renewed push to legalize medical marijuana comes as the legislature is now moving to regulate hemp consumables, along with other substances like " gas station heroin ."

Flashback : North Carolina lawmakers brought the state in line with federal regulations on hemp in 2022, declassifying it as a controlled substance so long as the product contains less than .3% of the psychoactive component of marijuana, Delta-9 THC.

What's happening: That's opened the market for the sale of hemp consumables North Carolina lawmakers are now looking to regulate, enabling dispensaries across the state to legally sell intoxicating products extracted from hemp without any restrictions or age limits.

State of play: A proposal to regulate hemp products, set age limits and license sellers, distributors and manufacturers of hemp consumables has been moving through the legislature in recent weeks with broad support.

• That was until Wednesday, when Republican state Sen. Bill Rabon, a cancer survivor who credits his illegal usage of marijuana with saving his life, moved to include medical marijuana legalization in the hemp regulatory bill.
• In a committee hearing Thursday, Rabon noted that the only difference between Delta-9 and marijuana is potency.
• With medical marijuana now included in the legislation, the state Senate voted Thursday for a third year in a row to legalize weed for medicinal uses.

The big picture: Medical marijuana products are legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .

Yes, but: With medical marijuana now tacked onto the bill, the legislation is now unlikely to pass the state House, where medical marijuana has faced opposition from Republicans in recent years.

• House Speaker Tim Moore has remained adamant that medical marijuana doesn't have the support to pass, saying earlier this month: "I will tell you in no uncertain terms, there are not the votes in this caucus right now to vote for this bill," WUNC's Colin Campbell reported .
• It's unclear just how many Republicans oppose the legislation, however, as many have quietly changed their position or said they'd remain open-minded as medical marijuana legalization has gained traction.