N.C. Lawmakers Kill Medical Marijuana Bill to Stop Being "Harassed" By Supporters

Calling on all activists to respond.

Activist Post

Apparently when lawmakers in North Carolina are flooded with phone calls from their constituents in support of a piece of legislation they consider it “harassment” and kill the bill to make it stop. This is what representative democracy has become in North Carolina, where lawmakers just killed a bill to legalize medical marijuana to “stem the tide of phone calls and emails”.

According to WRAL Channel 5 in North Carolina:

The House Rules Committee has killed a bill that would have legalized medical marijuana, an effort by House leaders to stem a tide of phone calls and emails on the topic.

It is somewhat unusual to give a measure an unfavorable report. Typically, bills that won’t pass merely sit in committee unheard and untended.

“We did it to be done with it, so people could move on for the session,” said Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam, R-Wake. He said lawmakers we’re being “harassed” with phone calls and emails about medical marijuana.

In other words, stop bugging us to do your bidding. Who do you think we work for? They act as if we work for them, at least before they fired us for “harassment”.

The committee only allowed 20 minutes of public testimony before voting to killing the bill, H.B. 84The Enact Medical Cannabis Act, which would have allowed patients over 21 who suffer from a variety of ailments to receive prescriptions for medical cannabis.

This is a shocking level of disregard for the seriousness of their jobs as well as the will of the public no matter what the subject of the legislation.  This should not be permitted.

What’s funny is they actually think this will stop the phone calls and emails. Instead let’s turn up the pressure. Below are the names, emails and phone numbers of all the members on the North Carolina Rules Committee with Paul “Skip Harassment” Stam at the top of the list.

Share this with everyone you know whether they are sympathetic to the cause of medical marijuana or not. Urge them to contact these representatives to demand fair hearing for H.B. 84 and an up or down vote in the General Assembly.

Paul Stam – Vice Chairman
Phone: 919-733-2962
Email: [email protected]

Tom Moore – Chairman
Phone: 919-733-4838
Email: [email protected]

Justin Burr – Vice Chairman
Phone: 919-733-5908
Email: [email protected]

Here are links to the rest of the committee Members: