North Carolina Senate President Phil Berger says full legalization of marijuana is off the table this session, but medical marijuana legislation could still gain traction—if the House takes the lead.
In a recent interview with WXII 12 News, Berger said he sees no realistic chance of North Carolina passing a law to legalize marijuana for recreational use during the current legislation session. However, he acknowledged there is continued support for allowing marijuana for medical purposes.
“I don’t see that there is any chance of full legalization of recreational marijuana,” said Berger. “I do think there continues to be discussion about medical marijuana. The Senate has, on a couple of occasions, passed medical marijuana legislation. And I think there remain majorities within the Senate for legislation of that sort.”
Despite that support, Berger indicated the Senate isn’t likely to move first this time around. “I don’t know that the Senate will actually be passing anything initially in this session. I think we’re going to wait and see what comes out of the House,” he said.
Medical marijuana bills have passed the North Carolina Senate twice in recent years but failed to gain traction in the House. The latest attempt came in 2023, when the Senate passed the “NC Compassionate Care Act,” but the legislation stalled in a House committee and never received a floor vote.
North Carolina remains one of the few states in the country that has not legalized marijuana for either recreational or broad medical use. A very limited CBD law exists, allowing only certain epilepsy patients access to low-THC cannabis extracts.
