Source: Queen City Nerve
Over the past few months, the hemp industry has been anxiously awaiting action from the North Carolina General Assembly. In 2018, North Carolina introduced a trial period to authorize the legal sale of hemp until July 1. At the 11th hour, legislators passed a law to permanently legalize hemp across the state.
Right after signing the bill into law, Gov. Roy Cooper said that in an agricultural state such as North Carolina, it was essential that farmers have the right and the confidence to participate in this growing market. Cooper also said it was “the right thing to do for rural communities and our economy.”
Inaction from the General Assembly would have ended many businesses, effectively killing the hemp industry in North Carolina. Michael Sims, co-owner of Crowntown Cannabis in Charlotte told the Queen City Nerve that he was not fully sure that certain NC politicians aren’t using the measure as a way to leverage the passage of SB711, a bill that would legalize marijuana use in the state while keeping local independent farmers and producers from participating.
Sims said, “… we still need to fight aggressively to get access to legal adult-use cannabis. The citizens of this state overwhelmingly want cannabis to be completely legal. Today is a win but we know better than to let our guard down.”
