North Carolina State Representative Jordan Lopez has introduced a bill to legalize marijuana in the state. The proposed legislation, titled “An Act to Legalize and Regulate the Sale, Possession, and Use of Cannabis in North Carolina,” aims to make cannabis use legal for individuals over the age of 21. The bill also proposes a system of licensing, regulation, and taxation to replace the current illicit market.
Lopez has argued that the prohibition of cannabis is a “wasteful and destructive failure” that disproportionately affects communities of color. He points out that despite similar usage rates between black and white communities, black individuals are more than three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession.
The bill also claims that the prohibition of cannabis diverts law enforcement resources away from more pressing issues and deprives the state of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Lopez represents District 112 in the North Carolina General Assembly and believes that a conversation about marijuana legalization is long overdue. He has received a mix of reactions to the proposal, but notes that a majority of North Carolinians support some form of legalization.
The bill is now before the North Carolina General Assembly, where it will be considered alongside other proposed legislation. If passed, it would make North Carolina one of the latest states to legalize marijuana, following in the footsteps of several other states that have already done so.
