RALEIGH, N.C. — Legislation to legalize marijuana in some form could have a better chance of passing next year, with Democrats set to take control of the North Carolina House of Representatives in January.

Republicans lost their House majority in the Nov. 3 election and are one seat away from losing their majority in the Senate.

That means Democrats now control the House and have much more leverage in the Senate, which could mean many more lawmakers backing some form of marijuana legislation.

That’s particularly important in the House, which hasn’t taken up the medical marijuana bills the GOP-controlled Senate has passed, due to a lack of support by House Republicans.

House Minority Leader Robert Reives, who is running for House speaker and has the backing of the party, confirmed at a news conference Tuesday that House Democrats are interested in taking up the issue next year.

Asked whether House Democrats were interested in medical marijuana legislation, Reives said “we’ve always been interested in doing that,” adding that “decriminalization of marijuana is on top of everybody’s mind.”

Marijuana is illegal in North Carolina for both medical and recreational use, except on Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians land. Possessing small amounts is a misdemeanor, while larger amounts can bring felony charges and jail time.

Meanwhile, hemp, which also comes from cannabis but has lower amounts of a specific psychoactive compound (though it contains other psychoactive compounds), is legal and largely unregulated. Most hemp products could be banned under a federal law set to take effect Dec. 11.

What likely new speaker wants on medical marijuana

Reives’ own support comes from hearing from veterans, he said. Former caucus members showed him how medical marijuana had helped veterans, and with a father and an uncle who both served, Reives said, “I want everything we can to help our veterans.”

But he said he would not support a bill that favored some industry players.

“What I will not support is picking winners and losers in the industry,” Reives said. Earlier proposals would have authorized medical marijuana but limited who could take part to a few operators, he said.

The Republican-led Senate has passed legislation that’s been dubbed the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act more than once over the years.

The primary sponsor of those bills has been Senate Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon, who has said medical marijuana helped him during his cancer treatment. The bills would have allowed only a limited number of supplier licenses, with each supplier handling everything from growing to processing to selling medical marijuana, and capped how many dispensaries each one could open. They also included a range of other regulations.

“I’m not doing that,” Reives said. “It is an industry just like any other industry, and so if we authorize it, it should be authorized in such a way that our farmers, (with) agriculture still our top industry, that all of them have an opportunity to make that decision to be involved in (the) process.”

“If anybody wants to try to sell me on the fact that there are people who have particular expertise that can do this, and nobody else can do it, I’m going to have a real good talk with them,” he said.

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