North Carolinians who are diagnosed with cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses could use marijuana to treat their illness if state lawmakers enact a proposal that was endorsed Wednesday by a legislative committee.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance House Bill 563, which was introduced last year to propose new taxes and regulations on the hemp industry and ban those products from school grounds. In a surprise move Wednesday afternoon, the committee amended the bill so that it would also allow physicians to prescribe marijuana for people with debilitating medical conditions, including:

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  • Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
    • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
      • Crohn's disease
        • Sickle cell anemia
          • Parkinson's disease
            • Post-traumatic stress disorder
              • Multiple sclerosis
                • Cachexia or wasting syndrome
                  • Severe or persistent nausea in a person who is not pregnant and that is related to end-of-life or hospice care, or who is bedridden or homebound because of a condition
                    • A terminal illness when the patient's remaining life expectancy is less than six months.

                      The proposal needs approval from the state senate, state House of Representatives and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to become law. Previous efforts have stalled before reaching the governor. The proposal comes as the GOP-controlled House and Senate are at an impasse over the state budget.

                      A medical marijuana bill passed his chamber in 2022 and 2023 with broad bipartisan support but each time was never allowed a vote in the House. A representative for House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

                      Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, introduced the amendment Wednesday that would legalize medical marijuana. Rabon is a cancer survivor who says smoking illegal marijuana helped save his life.

                      He told committee members that he has new hope that House members will consider his proposal. He compared the medical marijuana proposal to House Bill 98, which House members introduced this year to ensure that North Carolinians with severely debilitating illnesses can access newer investigational drugs under certain conditions.

                      Rabon suggested medical marijuana would be no more dangerous than other substances in the hemp market, such as Delta 9, adding: “Both of which have the same genus and the same species being cannabis sativa.”

                      Yet, Rabon said, some remain confused about the substances.

                      "We've had the issue clouded and clouded and clouded many times,” he said. “When the clouds are that big, it's time for it to rain."