NC Compassionate Care Act (S711) Summary

• Establishes a regulated medical cannabis system in North Carolina allowing qualified patients with debilitating medical conditions to legally possess, use, and purchase cannabis for medical purposes from licensed suppliers operating medical cannabis centers.

• Creates two oversight bodies: a Compassionate Use Advisory Board (11 members) to review and add qualifying medical conditions, and a Medical Cannabis Production Commission (11 members) to license and regulate up to 10 medical cannabis suppliers statewide.

• Requires physicians to complete 10-hour continuing medical education courses and maintain bona fide patient relationships with in-person examinations; qualifies patients with conditions including cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, and terminal illness receive registry identification cards limiting possession to a 30-day "adequate supply."

• Implements a seed-to-sale tracking system, establishes licensing requirements for suppliers ($50,000 initial fee), requires background checks, mandates testing by independent laboratories, and prohibits advertising while restricting medical cannabis center locations to 1,000+ feet from schools, churches, and childcare facilities.

• Provides criminal exemptions for compliant qualified patients, designated caregivers, and licensed suppliers while maintaining penalties for non-compliant conduct and establishing a self-supporting fund through licensing fees and 10% monthly gross revenue fees from suppliers.