NC NORML contracted with the Public Policy Polling (based in the Triangle) this past April 2016 to poll the state. In NC, 74% now supports medical cannabis (up 5% from last year). Only 40% supports full legalization while 47% is dead set against it.
A personal note regarding what I am about to say... I am an Unaffiliated voter who is strictly non partisan. I base my support/vote on a lawmaker's issues and voting record... not by political party. However, here in NC, it is the far religious right within the GOP who control the show. NC voter demographics have been changing rapidly in our urban areas. But little has changed in rural NC... and rural NC elects 109 of our 170 legislators.
The far religious right is represented politically by the Christian Action League... an established, well funded, organized 501c4. CAL is headed up by Rev Mark Creech who is always given the floor to speak last when one of our mmj bills are in committee. CAL represents a couple dozen different religious denominations in NC... the very churches our lawmakers personally attend.
Past the opposition of CAL, we have Big Tobacco, Big Alcohol, and Big Pharma money behind our elected lawmakers. Also the criminal justice system... from law enforcement to the courts. For example, the only vocal opposition to our hemp bill were "the DA's".
The NC GOP has gerrymandered our political district lines so severely, they have guaranteed their control of NC politics until 2020. The best we can hope for this coming November, is to vote away their veto-proof control. That will be done by unseating Gov McCrory and the Dems gaining 4 seats in the General Assembly.
Thanks to political gerrymandering, the NC GOP has 40 seats in the NC House and 13 seats in the NC Senate that are unopposed in 2016.
Organized citizen lobbying for medical cannabis has been done in NC since the creation of the NC Cannabis Patient's Network in 2003. As with many activist organizations, NCCPN has fizzled out some over the years but still exists and are actively gearing up for 2017. We also have various formations of NORML groups who are active in the urban areas of the state.
Personally, I'm working on forming the NC Cannabis Action Network (NC CAN Inc.) with the goal of uniting the movement and filling in the gaps in NC cannabis activism. i.e. rural NC cannabis education campaigns. NC CAN's official launch will be during the Unity Retreat 2016.
I'm also excited about the formation of a NC Weed for Warriors chapter. With over 300,000 veterans in NC, their work here is very much needed! They will be announcing their launch during the Unity Retreat 2016.
We do need the east side of the state to wake up and organize. The Unity Retreat 2016 location is centrally located to where NC cannabis activism is currently alive. (Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston-Salem)
The NC cannabis movement is alive and growing. We are pulling together the ground campaigns needed to realize cannabis law reform. But, we need money. Activism is not cheap. All our groups struggle to fund their endeavors. Past our efforts on the ground, we need a well funded cannabis lobby in Raleigh. As always, money talks.
Anyone capable/interested in helping us fund the Raleigh cannabis lobby would need to contact NC NORML since they are a 501c4 and can legally contract that kind of political activity.
https://ncnorml.com/
The rest of us are 501c3s and the best way to help our education campaigns at this moment, would be to donate through our Unity Retreat 2016 event page. On Sunday, September 25 during the retreat, all donations made through the event page will be evenly distributed to all participating groups.
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/unity-retreat-2016-tickets-26859042118?aff=unity
https://www.causes.com/campaigns/102973-get-medical-marijuana-legalized-in-north-carolina
But there are victories to be had until then. And they are necessary in order for us to win big in 2020. There is much work to do... 
