The rising controversy surrounding the legalization of medical marijuana can be the take-off tobacco farmers need to make the switch. The race to be the first, the legal fist-fight between North and South, is laying the opportunity wide open for the winner to take it all. Let’s dive into what is happening in the battle to claim the territory.
Medical Marijuana – The Answer For Patients And Farmers Alike.
Senate BIll 711 may bring relief and quality of life to millions of lives, if they are in possession of a registry identification card that exempts them from the laws that normally regulate the use of cannabis. Diseases such as epilepsy, cancer, and PTSD are some of the highlighted diseases that can be treated with medical marijuana, and patients are fighting to see the bill passed. Can this be seen as a movement from the typical treatment programs that have obviously failed many patients? Yes, as well as being an opportunity for tobacco farmers to save their legacy. All this is hanging by the thread of a very delicate legal battle that has seen many ups, and a few devastating downs.
What’s Going On With The Legal Battle?
Since August of 2021, a stall in the passing of Senate Bill 711 in North Carolina has put the opposing sides on edge. The hope is that the bill will pass with legalities taking place between May 18 and June 30th of this year. Will a win finally be awarded for medical marijuana? Experts seem to believe so. However, a shadow is hanging overhead as South Carolina lawmakers halted the passing of the bill completely. This can foreshadow the failure of the North Carolina lawmakers, or it can be gas on the fire to win the race and save the farmers from certain ruin as tobacco seems to continue in a downward spiral. Democrats and Republicans are in support of the bill, and this seems to give it the possibility of a positive outcome. A whopping ¾ of North Carolinians support the legalization of medical cannabis. This certainly gives the battle the ground support it needs.
Tobacco Farmers Can Turn The Tables
Despite the bill dragging its feet, tobacco growers can see this as the golden carrot being dangled in front of their noses. Tobacco is no longer paying the bills, and this can see a rise in the conversion of tobacco farms into the supply chain of medical marijuana. North Carolina can manically grab this if they pass the bill first, and claim that territory. Innovation can lay at the center of their success. It cannot be argued that it is a relatively new field of mass crop growing, but the adaption of equipment and methods can be seen as a positive change for the incoming need.
The space needed for growing medical marijuana may be seen as the same as tobacco, but the massive space needed to dry the product afterward is where the true repurposing of space needs to come from. As tobacco farmers keep seeing a detrimental decline in their industry, this is just the golden lifeboat that they have been longing for.
As a battle continues to rage between North and South, the bottom line is suffering. The possibility of celebrating a win from the senate may be in the cards as early as July. The legalization of medical cannabis can be the key to elevating North Carolina against its cousins in the South.
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