North Carolina Marijuana Policy
North Carolina has the tenth largest population in the United States, which if statistics hold up, means there are a LOT of marijuana consumers in North Carolina. I’ve always wondered what the marijuana scene in North Carolina was like…maybe TWB readers can post comments below? Is the marijuana good, easy to get, and cheap, or bad, hard to find, and expensive? Or somewhere in between? Below are the current marijuana laws in North Carolina, courtesy of North Carolina NORML:
Decriminalized? — No.
Possession of .5 oz or less is a misdemeanor, punishable by 30 days in jail and a $200 fine.
Possession of .5 to 1.5 oz is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Community service is possible for these two offenses and a maximum sentence of 45 days if the offender has no priors.
Possession of more than 1.5 oz is a felony, punishable by 1 year in jail and a discretionary fine.
The distribution or cultivation of less than 5 grams without payment is treated as a possession charge.
Distributing or cultivating 5 grams to 10 lbs is a felony, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Distributing or cultivating 10 to 50 lbs is a felony, punishable by 25 to 30 months in prison mandatory sentence, and a $5,000 fine.
Distributing or cultivating 50 to 2,000 lbs is a felony, punishable by a mandatory sentence of 35 to 42 months in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Distributing or cultivating 2,000 to 10,000 lbs is a felony, punishable by a mandatory sentence of 70 to 84 months in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Distributing or cultivating 10,000 lbs or more is a felony, punishable by a mandatory sentence of 179 to 219 months in prison and a $200,000 fine.
Distributing or cultivating within 300 feet of a school zone, selling to a minor, or selling to a pregnant woman results in additional felonies and fines.
Possession of paraphernalia is a misdemeanor, punishable by 6 months in jail and a fine to be determined by the judge.
Medical Program? — No.
Want to help bring marijuana reform to North Carolina? Below are some great places to get started, via our North Carolina activism page:
North Carolina Americans for Safe Access
North Carolina Students for Sensible Drug Policy
North Carolina Marijuana Policy Project
Carolina Cannabis Coalition
5025 Cokesbury Rd.
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Joshua M. Johnson
Vice President
Carolina Cannabis Coalition
www.carolinacannbiscoalition.webs.com
