North Carolina is one of the few remaining US states without some form of legal medical marijuana program. While a majority of NC voters continue to support medical legalization, that support appears to be waning.
According to a Meredith College poll of North Carolina voters conducted early this month, 71% supported the passage of a medical marijuana bill, with 23% of respondents being opposed. 45% strongly supported such a bill, while 26% somewhat supported the idea.
While still very strong, the results are a drop on 2024 Meredith College polling results that indicated 78% of North Carolinians supported legalising medical marijuana; with 18 percent of respondents being opposed.
But polling results vary widely depending on the questions posed and by who. In a Carolina Forward poll last year, 95% of NC likely voters support some form of legalization, with 63% preferring legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use. 32% said it should only be legal for medical use, while just 5% said it should be prohibited under all circumstances.
There have been multiple attempts to get legislation across the line. In 2023, the state’s Senate passed SB 3, also known as the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, that would have allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana for a number of health conditions. But the North Carolina House did not vote on the bill.
Last year, the Senate took another crack at medical legalization, this time making the unusual move of adding wording from the Compassionate Care Act to House Bill 563, a bill regarding hemp product regulations. While passed in the Senate, that also died in the house. Getting anything through the House has been a challenge as many House Republicans still remain opposed to legal medical cannabis.
In January this year, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, a Republican, said there was another opportunity to address the issue at some point during the session this year. But he acknowledged that getting it to the House floor may be difficult again.
As at February 2025, 39 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories have legalised cannabis for medical use. Recreational/adult use has been legalized in 24 states and the District of Columbia.
