North Carolina Senate Reaches Compromise on Hemp Law

A deal was struck on Thursday by the House and Senate negotiators to criminalize smokable hemp by June 2020. And, as the General Assembly prepares for a temporary close, the Senate has broken the impasse on one of the weightier legislations waiting to be passed.

In North Carolina, hemp is a developing economic crop, and it can be used in several products. However, smokable hemp rapidly turned out to be the primary source of profits for the hemp farmers because patients preferred it for the CBD compound as well as its medicinal effect.

Since the plant structure and smell resembles that of marijuana, law enforcement in North Carolina complained that legalizing hemp would be the same as legalizing weed.

The police, sheriffs and districts attorney complained and said that the officers would lose the probable cause of drug arrest through consumption or smoking if the officers are unable to differentiate between marijuana and hemp.

The Senate and the House came to a compromise whereby they allowed farmers in North Carolina to sell smokable hemp until June 2020. The house wanted the cutoff to be before June 2020 while the Senate wanted it to be later.

The legislation is 32 pages long. It is to be voted this week by the House and the Senate and later passed to Governor Roy Cooper for signing.

Other concerns raised in the annual farm bills before the state lawmakers is that farmers across North Carolina would be allowed to open Rifle ranges, skeet shooting and other shooting sports on their farms. The environmentalists and neighboring farms are worried that their properties would be affected as noise and bullets would eventually spill into their farms.

The legislation states that the recreational skeet shooting, as well as other sporting activities such as agritourism, are exempted from local zoning rules provided they happen sorely on the owner’s farm.

While considering the legislation, on Thursday, the Senate committee invited several of the farmers who are against the change. One woman said the reason why she is afraid of the move is that she bought her land because of the horse riding trails and since the neighboring farm opened a commercial shooting range, she can no longer use the path as her horses are afraid of the gunfire.

Senator Brent Jackson said that his intention is not to allow rifle ranges but to allow skeet and clay shooting.

Recreational shooting activities are permitted in counties with a maximum population of 110,000. However, the shooting facilities should comply with the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission guidelines. It is up to the county commission to determine if the farm’s participating in recreational shooting sport have fulfilled the standard rules.

Of all these issues before the lawmakers, the controversy surrounding smokable hemp attracted the most attention, and it is hoped that the vote this week will put this controversy to an end.

However, it is widely believed by analysts that hemp industry companies like Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) and Sugarmade Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD) could be apprehensive about the ban because one can never tell what pandora’s box will be opened for the industry with the example of this decision in North Carolina.

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