S648 - North Carolina Medical Cannabis Act

• Establishes the North Carolina Medical Cannabis Act to legalize medical cannabis for qualified patients with debilitating medical conditions, effective December 1, 2018.

• Allows qualified patients and designated caregivers to possess an "adequate supply" of cannabis (up to 24 ounces for inhalation/smoking or up to 250 square feet of garden canopy) without arrest or prosecution if they hold a valid registry identification card.

• Creates a regulated medical cannabis supply system administered by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, requiring licenses for medical cannabis centers, cannabis producers, and cannabis-infused product manufacturers, with initial and renewal fees of $5,000 each plus 10-15% monthly gross revenue fees.

• Protects physicians from prosecution for recommending medical cannabis or providing written certifications to patients with debilitating conditions; protects patients from employment, housing, and custody discrimination based on medical cannabis use.

• Applies a 5% sales tax to cannabis sales and related supplies; establishes affirmative legal defenses for possession of cannabis amounts exceeding the adequate supply limit if medically necessary as determined by a physician.