Regulate Research of Medical Cannabis.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 984

Short Title: Regulate Research of Medical Cannabis. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Belk, Reives, Cervania, and Greenfield (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 14, 2025
*H984-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT PERMITTING CANNABIS MEDICAL RESEARCH STUDIES. 2
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
SECTION 1. G.S. 90-94.1 reads as rewritten: 4
"§ 90-94.1. Exemption for use or possession of hemp extract.cannabis. 5
(a) As used in this section, "hemp extract" means an extract from a cannabis plant, or a 6
mixture or preparation containing cannabis plant material, that has all of the following 7
characteristics: 8
(1) Is composed of less than nine -tenths of one percent (0.9%) 9
tetrahydrocannabinol by weight. 10
(2) Is composed of at least five percent (5%) cannabidiol by weight. 11
(3) Contains no other psychoactive substance. 12
(a1) As used in this section, "cannabis" has the same meaning as "marijuana" in 13
G.S. 90-87. 14
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, an individual may possess or 15
use hemp extract, cannabis and is not subject to the penalties described in this Chapter, if the 16
individual satisfies all of the following criteria: 17
(1) Possesses or uses the hemp extract only to treat intractable epilepsy, as defined 18
in G.S. 90-113.101.cannabis as a participant in a registered research study, as 19
defined in G.S. 90-113.161, if the quantity of usable cannabis possessed does 20
not exceed an adequate supply, as determined by the institution conducting 21
the research study. 22
(2) Possesses, in close proximity to the hemp extract, a certificate of analysis that 23
indicates the hemp extra ct's ingredients, including its percentages of 24
tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol by weight. cannabis, a written 25
certification, as defined in G.S. 90-113.161. 26
(3) Is a caregiver, as defined in G.S. 90-113.101.G.S. 90-113.161. 27
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, an individual who possesses 28
hemp extract cannabis lawfully under this section may administer hemp extract cannabis to 29
another person under the individual's care and is not subject to the penalties described in this 30
Chapter for administering the hemp extract cannabis to the person if the individual is the person's 31
caregiver, as defined in G.S. 90-113.101.G.S. 90-113.161. 32
(d) Any individual who possesses or uses hemp extract, cannabis, as defined under this 33
section, shall dispose of all residual oil from the extract any unused portions at a secure collection 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 984-First Edition
box managed by a law enforcement agency. No criminal penalty shall attach for any violation of 1
this subsection." 2
SECTION 2. Chapter 90 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article 3
to read: 4
"Article 5I. 5
"Cannabis Treatment Research Act. 6
"§ 90-113.160. Short title. 7
(a) This act may be cited as the "North Carolina Cannabis Treatment Research Act." 8
(b) The purpose of this act is to regulate the research of cannabis as a treatment for 9
medical conditions. 10
"§ 90-113.161. Definitions. 11
The following definitions apply in this Article: 12
(1) Cannabis. – Has the same meaning as "marijuana" in G.S. 90-87 and refers to 13
quantities of 1.5 ounces or less. 14
(2) Caregiver. – An individual that is at least 18 years of age and a resident of 15
North Carolina who is a parent, legal guardian, or custodian of a patient and 16
is registered with the Department of Health and Human Services under 17
G.S. 90-113.162 who possesses a written statement dated and signed by a 18
physician that states all of the following: 19
a. The patient has been examined and is under the care of the physician. 20
b. The patient is participating in a registered cannabis research study. 21
(3) Database. – The Cannabis Treatment Research database, established by the 22
Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to this Article. 23
(4) Department. – The Department of Health and Human Services. 24
(5) Patient. – A person who has been diagnosed by a physician with one or more 25
medical conditions. 26
(6) Physician. – A person licensed under Article 1 of Chapter 90 of the General 27
Statutes who is in good standing to practice medicine in this State. 28
(7) Registered research study. – A study conducted by a research institution and 29
registered in the database. 30
(8) Research institution. – A hospital, university, laboratory, pharmaceutical 31
manufacturer, or private medical research corporation that has registered with 32
the Department to conduct cannabis research. 33
(9) Written certification. – A statement in a patient 's medical records or a 34
statement signed by a physician with whom the patient has a bona fide 35
physician-patient relationship indicating that, in the physician 's professional 36
opinion, the patient has a medical condition and the potential health benefits 37
of the medical use of cannabis would likely outweigh the health risks for the 38
patient. 39
"§ 90-113.162. Cannabis Treatment Research database; departmental duties. 40
(a) The Department shall create a secure an d electronic Cannabis Treatment Research 41
database registry for the registration of research institutions, physicians, caregivers, and patients 42
as provided by this Article. All caregivers shall be required to register with the Department. Law 43
enforcement agencies are authorized to contact the Department to confirm a caregiver 's 44
registration. The database shall consist of the following information to be provided by the 45
caregivers at the time of registration: 46
(1) The name and address of the caregiver. 47
(2) The name and address of the caregiver's patient. 48
(3) The name, address, and contact information for the institution conducting the 49
cannabis research study. 50
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 984-First Edition Page 3
(b) It is the responsibility of the institution conducting the research study to update the 1
Department if caregiver or patient contact information changes. 2
"§ 90-113.163. Immunity for institutions; confidentiality. 3
(a) On a case -by-case basis, research institutions may approve of dispensation to a 4
registered caregiver, as approved by this Article, cannabis acquired from another jurisdiction. 5
(b) Research institutions who approve of dispensation of cannabis to a registered 6
caregiver, as approved by this Article, shall inform the registered caregiver of the requirement 7
that disposal must be done at a secure collection box pursuant to G.S. 90-94.1. 8
(c) Research institutions and their employees shall not be subject to arrest or prosecution, 9
penalized or disciplined in any manner, or denied any right or privilege for researching the use 10
of cannabis or providing a written certification for the use of cannabis pursuant to this Article. 11
(d) The identities of the caregivers, patients, and research institutions reported to the 12
Department pursuant to this Article are confidential and are not matters of public record. 13
However, this information may be provided to law enforcement age ncies pursuant to 14
G.S. 90-113.162. 15
"§ 90-113.164. North Carolina Cannabis Research Program. 16
(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly that any physician who issues a written 17
certification to a patient be permitted to participate in objective scientific research with persons 18
registered under G.S. 90-113.162 regarding the administration of cannabis as part of medical 19
treatment. 20
(b) The scientific research conducted under this Article may involve the development of 21
quality control, purity, and labeling standards for cannabis; sound advice and recommendations 22
on the best practices for the safe and efficient medical use of cannabis; and analysis of genetic 23
and healing properties of the many varied strains of cannabis to determine which strains may be 24
best suited for a particular medical condition or treatment. 25
(c) A research institution, physician, or person registered to conduct research under 26
G.S. 90-113.162 shall not be subject to arrest or prosecution, or penalized in any manner, or 27
denied any right or privilege for researching the use of cannabis or providing written certification 28
for the use of cannabis pursuant to this section." 29
SECTION 3. The provisions of this act are severable. If any provision of this act is 30
held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions 31
of this act which can be given effect without the invalid provision. 32
SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies to offenses 33
committed on or after that date. 34