North Carolina: Market and legal data of the cannabis sector

5th August 2024: US - North Carolina: A recreational cannabis dispensary owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and operated on tribal lands in North Carolina will begin selling recreational cannabis on 7th September to anyone aged 21 and older, press reports. Tribal members approved a referendum last September to legalise recreational cannabis, but sales so far have been limited to tribal members or members of other federally recognised tribes. Recreational cannabis remains illegal in North Carolina, but tribes are recognised as sovereign and can decide their own cannabis policy.
25th June 2024: US - North Carolina: House Bill (HB) 563 has been amended and passed by the Senate and must now be sent back to the House. HB 563 was originally a bill to regulate hemp-derived and kratom products, but the Senate added an amendment that would legalise medical cannabis. The Senate version still contains several restrictions on hemp products, such as limiting the total amount of THC contained in liquid products and restricting sales to adults (21+). The medical cannabis amendment is similar to the Compassionate Care Act that was passed by the Senate last year but failed to pass in the House.
6th March 2024: US - North Carolina: North Carolina Republican senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd have sent a letter to US attorney general Merrick Garland, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other federal, state and local agencies urging them to uphold law on tribal cannabis sales in North Carolina. In the letter, the senators asked 19 questions relating to their concerns around the plans of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to launch adult-use cannabis sales within its territory on 20th April 2024. “In recent months, we have heard directly from North Carolinians who have communicated their concerns about the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and Qualla Enterprise LLC establishing an operation to produce, cultivate, and sell marijuana,” the senators wrote. “As our nation is facing an unprecedented drug crisis that is harming our communities, it is vital to learn what measures your departments and agencies are taking to uphold current federal and state laws.”
2nd November 2023: US - North Carolina: The North Carolina secretary of state’s office confiscated approximately $170,000 worth of THC-infused copycat food products that mimicked such brands as Oreos, Fritos and Skittles, press reports. Secretary of state Elaine Marshall warned: “These THC-infused edibles are packaged using counterfeit snack brands that are particularly popular with children and teenagers.”
26th September 2023: US - North Carolina: House Bill (HB) 563 was passed by the House and is now in the Senate. The bill would regulate hemp-derived products and kratom by imposing specific labelling and testing requirements. HB 563 would expressly allow for the sale of hemp cannabinoid products if sold to adults (18+) and the delta-9 THC concentration is not above 0.3%. Retailers would be required to have a licence and could not sell ingestible products with more than 3 mg per serving of any THC isomer.
8th September 2023: US - North Carolina: Uncertified voting results reveal that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in western North Carolina have apparently legalised recreational cannabis on tribal grounds, press reports. Tribal lands include Harrah's Cherokee Casino, a popular tourist attraction in the mountains of North Carolina. If the voting results are certified, a unique situation would occur in which the tribal lands would allow cannabis for recreational use within the borders of a state that does not even allow medical cannabis. The referendum would allow adults (21+) to purchase cannabis products on tribal grounds and would not be limited to tribal members.
2nd March 2023: US - North Carolina: Senate Bill 3, known as the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, has passed the Senate and now heads to the House. It would legalise medical cannabis, allowing its use for patients suffering from certain qualifying medical conditions.
1st July 2022: US - North Carolina: Governor Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill (SB) 455 into law. SB 455 makes hemp and hemp products permanently legal in North Carolina following the expiration of the state’s original hemp law yesterday, 30th June.
30th June 2022: US - North Carolina: With North Carolina’s hemp statute set to expire after today, 30th June, the state Senate concurred in amendments to Senate Bill (SB) 455, which will keep hemp and its products legal in the state on a permanent basis if signed by the governor. SB 455 would essentially maintain the status quo for hemp products in North Carolina, but it includes a minor yet significant addition. Previously, hemp was excluded from the definition of marijuana in the controlled substances list but not from the definition of tetrahydrocannabinols (THC). A similar situation in Minnesota caused a court to call into question the legality of full-spectrum hemp products. However, SB 455 would resolve the issue by excluding hemp from the definition of THC. Doing so also likely clarifies any doubts about the legality of hemp-derived delta-8 THC products in the state.
29th June 2022: US - North Carolina: Language that would keep hemp legal was stripped from Senate Bill 762 before it was passed by the state House. Current hemp legislation expires tomorrow, 30th June, so the legislature must pass legislation within the next two days to keep it legal. SB 455 remains the most viable bill to do so within the timeframe, as the hemp language contained in it has already been passed by the House.
17th June 2022: US - North Carolina: Senate Bill (SB) 448 has been signed into law by the governor. SB 448 allows cannabis-based drugs that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be prescribed to patients in accordance with federal law.
7th June 2022: US - North Carolina: Senate Bill (SB) 711 passed the Senate and now heads to the House. The bill, also known as the Compassionate Care Act, would legalise medical cannabis in the state but would be very restrictive, as it would not allow smoking or vaping products. The legislative session is set to end on 30th June, and it is not yet clear whether there is the political will to pass such significant reform within the time restraints.

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