The time when you’ll be able to get a North Carolina Marijuana Card is coming closer and closer.
Last month, SB 711, the medical marijuana bill being debated in the State Senate, passed out of the second of four committees that it must survive before it can come to a vote on the Senate floor. After that, it would still have to go through more or less the same process in the House.
While medical marijuana still has a long way to go in North Carolina, we’ve never been closer to having a passable piece of legislation. And that’s fantastic news, because of all the amazing ways it can help North Carolinians.
Of Course First and Foremost, it’s About the Qualifying Conditions
SB 711 hasn’t even cleared the Senate yet, so it might undergo all sorts of changes before it becomes law. Still, based on the current version of the bill, innumerable residents of the Tarheel State would stand to benefit directly from its passage, because they suffer from one of the qualifying conditions listed in the bill as entitling one to get a North Carolina Marijuana Card.
As it stands, the bill recognizes the following qualifying conditions, all of which can be safely and effectively treated with medical marijuana:
In addition to North Carolinians suffering from these issues, there is an exciting postscript to the list of qualifying conditions that could mean good news for countless additional Tarheels.
SB 711 ends its list of qualifying conditions with these two additional categories:
Any other serious medical condition or its treatment added by the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board
Other debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, those enumerated in this subdivision
In other words, if your condition isn’t a qualifying one, take heart: There is a process in place to add more conditions to the list.
Beyond the Qualifying Conditions, Medical Marijuana Offers Benefits for Overall Health and Wellbeing
You won’t be able to buy medical marijuana unless you have one or more of the qualifying conditions, but if you do have one of the qualifying conditions, medical marijuana can help you with more than just that.
In fact, numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated marijuana can benefit your overall health in many ways.
CBD may help slow the spread of cancer, and some studies have shown THC and CBD can slow and shrink cancerous tumors.
Marijuana users are likely to be skinnier and to have healthier metabolic reactions to sugars than non-users.
Marijuana can help with a number of sleep disorders.
Marijuana may help improve lung function.
According to research published by the American Psychological Association, marijuana use has helped reduce both anxiety symptoms and reliance on other anxiety medications.
And many elite athletes have started using marijuana to maximize their workouts.
Medical Marijuana Can Help Fill the State Coffers
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Michigan’s medical marijuana market is a good base of comparison for North Carolina’s, because they have roughly the same population as us and a tax structure that is similar to the one established in SB 711.
And how much revenue is Michigan collecting from medical marijuana? According to the News & Observer, the state pocketed $45 million in taxes and fees from medical marijuana last year. And remember, that’s with the competition of legal adult use marijuana in Michigan!
As Jared Moffat of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a pro-legalization advocacy group, told Newsweek, "Before legalization, money from cannabis sales flowed through an underground market that endangered public safety and disrupted communities. But now, we see all across the country that revenue from the legal cannabis industry is supporting schools, health care, and a range of other beneficial public programs."
Medical Marijuana Can Help Restore Hope
Of course in the final analysis, medical marijuana is about helping those who are out of options, and helping them to find hope once again.
Or as the father of an Alabama girl who suffers from severe seizures said upon the passage of that state’s medical marijuana law, “There’s a lot of people that are desperate to find new treatments. And if their physician is willing to help them with it, then this gives them hope. So it’s really for the people that are suffering.”
Can Medical Marijuana Help You?
North Carolina may not have a medical marijuana market yet, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t start the ball rolling today on being ready when the law is.
Reserve an evaluation with one of our knowledgeable, compassionate doctors, and we’ll book an appointment for you just as soon as North Carolina’s medical marijuana market is up and running.
You’ll meet with your doctor virtually via a telemedicine appointment using your smartphone or computer. Together, you’ll discuss your condition and decide if medical marijuana is right for you.
You’ll also save $25 off the cost of the appointment, and we’ll refund the entire cost if you and your doctor decide against medical marijuana for your case. You have nothing to lose, and a potential world of relief to gain!