NC lawmakers seek $5.4M for psychedelic research

North Carolina Senate Democrats filed a bill that would place two constitutional amendments on the November ballot to legalize cannabis for recreational and medical use.

Senate Bill 1072 would ask voters whether to allow possession of “limited amounts of cannabis” for recreational use and medical use by patients with qualifying conditions.

“The people of North Carolina deserve a voice in determining the future of cannabis policy in our state,” said Sen. Kandie Smith, D-Edgecombe, a lead sponsor. “What it does is, it provides a pathway for North Carolinians to vote on whether limited personal possession and medical use should be permitted under our state’s constitution.”

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said Wednesday that the bill was unlikely to advance.

“I’m not sure that we’re in a place where legalizing marijuana is going to be taken up,” Berger said.

Berger said lawmakers were discussing hemp regulation, including whether to impose a ban or create a regulatory framework.

Berger previously supported medical marijuana. In 2024, the Senate passed a bill, 36-10, to legalize medical marijuana and restrict hemp-based consumables. Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, a cancer survivor, backed the measure and said cannabis helped him endure chemotherapy for colon cancer.

The House did not take up that bill because of insufficient Republican support. North Carolina is one of 10 states that have not approved medical marijuana.

Without a medical cannabis program, some North Carolinians have used hemp products for pain, insomnia, anxiety, and other conditions. Many of those products are expected to be affected by stricter federal limits on hemp-derived consumables set to take effect in November.

A Meredith College Poll in February 2025 found 71% of North Carolinians supported medical marijuana legislation, while 17% opposed it. Polls by Elon University and Carolina Forward also found majority support in recent years for recreational marijuana.

North Carolina advanced to the College World Series championship series for the first time since 2006 after beating West Virginia 12-7 on Wednesday in Omaha.

The Tar Heels also defeated the Mountaineers 5-2 on Sunday and finished unbeaten in their bracket.

North Carolina will play the winner of the opposite bracket, where Oklahoma and Georgia were competing for the other spot in the finals. Oklahoma entered Wednesday needing one more win to advance, while Georgia was trying to force a winner-take-all game.

North Carolina lawmakers moved to add new Medicaid requirements for providers of applied behavioral analysis therapy for autism as state spending on the service rose sharply.

State and federal Medicaid spending on applied behavioral analysis, or ABA, exceeded $505 million in 2025, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That was up from $1.9 million five years earlier.

The increase came as ABA providers in other states began offering telehealth services in North Carolina and billing Medicaid for them. Some local providers and advocates said remote services may not be as effective for all patients.

A revised version of House Bill 34 passed the Senate Health Care Committee without debate Wednesday. The bill sought to slow growth in ABA spending by adding requirements for providers.

Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, said the measure included recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services and law enforcement to strengthen Medicaid compliance.

“The other big piece of this bill that we’ve had some conversations about is closing the network for peer support, community support, and our ABA services,” Sawrey said while presenting the bill. “Closing networks in the best interest of making sure that our local providers get those services to the patients is needed.”

Under a closed network, providers would have to submit credentials and meet requirements to qualify for reimbursement.

“There’s a threshold they have to meet in order to gain enrollment,” Sawrey told NC Newsline.

David Laxton, communications director at the Autism Society of North Carolina, said he believed the bill would improve the quality of ABA therapy in the state and help “ensure quality and sustainability” for the treatment.

Autism Speaks Vice President David Sitcovsky said he was concerned that additional requirements could limit access to treatment. He said Medicaid was a “lifeline” for many autistic people and their families because it provides access to ABA and other services.

“As states consider changes to strengthen accountability, they should take a careful, targeted approach that addresses these concerns while protecting access to medically necessary, high-quality care,” Sitcovsky said in a statement. “Efforts to prevent fraud or improper billing should not create new barriers or disrupt services for autistic power and families who rely on qualified providers.”

Republican leaders in the North Carolina House and Senate said this week they are making progress toward a state budget agreement.

House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, met Wednesday to discuss the budget. Talks between the chamber leaders are typically among the final steps before an agreement is reached.

“I feel like we are moving in the right direction,” Berger told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve got a ways to go. We’re nowhere close to being finished, but we’re making progress.”

Hall told reporters Tuesday that lawmakers were on track to pass a budget by the end of the month. Berger said a budget by the end of June was “something that is achievable.”

In May, Berger and Hall said they had resolved an impasse by agreeing on state employee and teacher raises, future tax cuts, and a plan to put constitutional amendments on tax limits before voters in November. Budget writers have been developing a proposal based on that framework, though the work has taken place behind closed doors.

Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, a senior House budget chairman, told reporters Wednesday that the budget includes additional Hurricane Helene relief.

Lambeth said state agencies would not receive everything they requested. “But overall, we’ve done a really reasonable and fair job of listening — we’ve been listening to people now for weeks — and making those decisions jointly with the Senate,” he said.