Thirty-seven states have legalized cannabis for medical use, and it’s time for North Carolina to do so as well. The Senate has already passed SB 711 by a bipartisan, supermajority. Many patients could benefit from cannabis as an alternative to opioids and other dangerous drugs, and they have already been waiting far too long for the legislature to take action. Patients in other states have found that cannabis is more effective in relieving their symptoms than pharmaceutical drugs, with fewer side effects. The decision to try medical cannabis should be made by patients in consultation with medical professionals. Our state government should not continue to stand between patients and their doctors. Passage of SB 711 would give doctors an additional tool to treat serious medical conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Crohn’s disease. I hope I can count on you to support this compassionate, narrowly tailored legislation.

Medical cannabis is legal in 37 states but today, patients across North Carolina are still suffering needlessly without safe, legal access. At this point, there is no question that cannabis is safer than opioids, and there is no excuse for continuing to deny patients if their doctors believe they could benefit from its use. A recent poll found that three-quarters of North Carolinians support allowing medical cannabis. North Carolinians understand that the decision to use medical cannabis should be made by doctors and patients, not by politicians. The Senate’s overwhelming vote in favor of SB 711 shows this is not a partisan issue. Please support passage of SB 711, and urge your colleagues to do the same.

In 37 other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Utah, seriously ill patients can use medical cannabis with their doctors’ approval. Why not here? It makes no sense that our doctors aren’t trusted to recommend medical cannabis and instead must prescribe far more dangerous medications. No one has died of a cannabis overdose, but more than 14,000 Americans die each year from prescription opiates. Why is North Carolina pushing patients and doctors to the far more harmful option? This compassionate bill passed the Senate in a more than 3:1 margin. Can I count on you to support the N.C. Compassionate Care Act to bring this medical freedom to North Carolina?