When you think of Mississippi food, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The state has lots of iconic offerings, including biscuits, tamales and mud pie.

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

By Brandon Kingdollar, NC Newsline

A new bill proposed by North Carolina Senate Democrats would put constitutional amendments to legalize recreational and medical cannabis on the ballot. But its odds of getting a vote in the Senate are not high, Republican leadership says.

Senate Bill 1072 would put two separate amendments on the ballot in November, asking voters to legalize possession of “limited amounts of cannabis” for recreational use and medical use by patients with qualifying conditions, respectively.

“The people of North Carolina deserve a voice in determining the future of cannabis policy in our state,” said Sen. Kandie Smith (D-Edgecombe), one of the bill’s lead sponsors. “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) had a blunt response: “I’m not sure that we’re in a place where legalizing marijuana is going to be taken up,” he said Wednesday afternoon.

“I think there is some interest in looking at the hemp situation and the components of hemp and the sale of some of the derivatives,” Berger said. “It’s really undetermined whether we’re talking about a complete ban, or we’re talking about a regulatory scheme, or we’re talking about including these and not including those. There are just discussions that are taking place as to what we garner consensus over.”

One such proposal currently moving through the House would ban individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing hemp-derived consumables.

Berger has lent support to medical marijuana in the past. In 2024, the Senate passed a bill that would have legalized medical marijuana while restricting hemp-based consumables. The bill, which passed by a margin of 36-10, was championed by Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick), a cancer survivor who said cannabis helped him withstand intensive chemotherapy for colon cancer.

However, the House declined to take up Rabon’s bill due to insufficient GOP support in that chamber. North Carolina remains one of only 10 states that have not yet approved medical marijuana.

In the absence of a medical cannabis program in North Carolina, many have turned to the state’s burgeoning hemp industry to meet what they describe as medical needs, such as alleviating pain, insomnia, and anxiety among other conditions. Many of those products, however, are set to disappear following much stricter federal restrictions on hemp-based consumables set to take effect in November.

The Meredith College Poll found in February 2025 that 71 percent of North Carolinians support the passage of a bill permitting medical marijuana, with 17 percent of respondents opposed. Polls by Elon University and progressive think tank Carolina Forward have also shown majorities in favor of recreational marijuana in recent years.

Sen. Caleb Theodros (D-Mecklenburg), another lead sponsor of S1072, said the bill would allow state law to catch up with public opinion on cannabis use.

“If the legislature cannot resolve this issue after years of debate, who should? I believe the answer is simple, and it’s the people of North Carolina,” Theodros said. “Senate Bill 1072 provides an opportunity for voters to have a direct voice on an issue that has remained unresolved for far too long.”

He said Berger has acknowledged momentum around cannabis legislation in the past year, an apparent reference to the Senate Leader’s past comments on medical cannabis. That makes him “cautiously optimistic” about the bill’s fate.

“We’re aware of the political climate in this building. But again, we didn’t get elected to just sit on our hands and say we’re in the superminority and therefore there’s nothing we could ever do,” Theodros said. “We’re just trying to move along our colleagues here and to join the rest of America and the rest of the planet in suggesting that we need to have some kind of policy on this.”

This story was first published by NC Newsline.

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

• Mustang baseball coach Joe Patterson led his team to a Class 6A state championship victory.
• Patterson was named The Oklahoman’s 2026 All-State Coach of the Year after a 39-6 season.
• The championship win was Patterson’s first after five previous appearances as a player and coach.
• The team’s success followed a significant turnaround from a 19-16 record the previous season.

Joe Patterson was hoping it would be different this time. 

The Mustang baseball coach is no stranger to state championship games.

But as Mustang headed into its Class 6A title matchup against Edmond Santa Fe in May, a state championship victory remained a goal that hadn’t been fulfilled for Patterson as a player or head coach.  

“That was all together — playing and coaching — my (sixth) state championship game, and I was 0-5,” Patterson said.  

Patterson can now revise that record to 1-5 as the Broncos beat defending champion Edmond Santa Fe 5-4 at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. 

An unforgettable day for Patterson. 

An unforgettable season. 

After leading Mustang to its third title and a 39-6 record while playing a brutally difficult schedule, Patterson is The Oklahoman’s 2026 All-State Coach of the Year. 

More: The Oklahoman’s 2026 Big All-City high school baseball roster

“It was one of those years where it felt like I wasn’t working the whole year,” Patterson said. “Just a special group and everybody involved did such an amazing job and the players got along and the senior leadership was just unbelievable.”

A year after going 19-16 and falling at regionals, this season was vastly different for Patterson as Mustang dominated from beginning to end. 

The Broncos won 11 of their first 12 games and ended the season the exact same way, claiming victories in 11 of their last 12 matchups. 

They thrived in tight games, going 12-3 in matchups decided by two or fewer runs. 

“We lost a bunch of close games last year,” Patterson said. “We didn’t have as great a season as we wanted, so we talked about trying to change the team morale and change the culture just a little bit in the fall, and we really focused on that. Just trying to make the place a more positive place for the kids and emphasize them having a little bit more fun but still working.” 

Born and raised in Duncan, Patterson’s love of baseball and sports in general go back to those days. 

His dad, Bill, was Duncan’s head football coach from 1997-2003 before accepting an assistant position at Owasso and serving as the Rams’ head coach from 2007-2016. 

More: The Oklahoman’s 2026 Little All-City high school baseball roster

A standout in football and baseball in high school, Joe Patterson was at Duncan as a freshman and sophomore before spending his final two years at Owasso and then playing college baseball from 2007-2010. He went to Oral Roberts for one year, Seminole State for a season and Texas A&M for his final two. 

Patterson was named the national junior college player of the year at Seminole State and had a successful stint at Texas A&M, hitting .362 with 21 homers and 100 RBIs with the Aggies.