Alexander high on hope for pot bill

State Rep. Kelly Alexander is nothing if not persistent.

The Charlotte Democrat is sponsoring yet another bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana. His bill, HB 1161, would amend the state constitution by adding a new section called the "Medical Cannabis Protection Act."

Alexander has sponsored medical marijuana bills before.

 

"I can see attitudes changing," he said this week in his legislative office.

 

Pot is legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington state. And a total of 22 states, plus the District of Columbia, have medical marijuana and cannabis programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

 

To Alexander, pot, at least for medical use, is no longer a Cheech and Chong fantasy, even in North Carolina.

 

A Republican, Rep. Pat McElraft of Emerald Isle, is co-sponsoring a bill along with Charlotte Democrat Becky Carney and others that would allow the use of hemp oil, derived from the cannabis plant, for treatment of certain disorders.

 

Not many people give Alexander's bill a chance. At least not yet.

 

"The trend is going in my direction," Alexander says. "I talk to conservatives. I talk to liberals. I talk to old folks. To people of all political persuasions united in their belief that the law needs to change, and where we are now just doesn't make any sense."

 

Charlotte lawmaker pushes legalized marijuana

Two sessions ago, Democratic Rep. Kelly Alexander co-sponsored a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. It never went anywhere. Now he's trying again.

Alexander and fellow Democrat Pricey Harrison of Greensboro have introduced H. 84, a bill to have North Carolina join 18 other states in allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana.

"Many seriously and chronically ill persons, including many disabled veterans, get relief from their suffering from marijuana," Alexander, of Charlotte, said in a statement. "I cannot understand why we would not give seriously ill patients and veterans anything and everything that gives them relief. Should seriously ill patients be arrested and sent to prison for using marijuana with their doctor's approval?"

Efforts to legalize marijuana for any reason have faced opposition.

The last time Alexander tried it, the head of the N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police said such a bill could make people more accepting of other drugs.