The North Carolina Senate on Monday passed a bipartisan medical cannabis bill that includes changes aimed at getting the measure through the House, which has for years killed similar measures, WTVD reports. The measure passed Monday includes provisions that would not allow adult-use cannabis legalization unless approved by the legislature, even if the federal government were to legalize cannabis broadly.   

The bill was initially passed last week, tacked on to a hemp regulation bill which includes enhanced regulations on the state’s existing hemp and CBD products.  

In an interview with WTVD, Dr. David Casarett, a palliative care fellow at Duke University, noted that under the current state ban on medical cannabis, he unable to talk about cannabis with his patients.   

“I need to work within the bounds of what’s legal. I also need to help my patients and I also need to be open and willing to talk about it because, you know, if a patient comes to me and asks me about medical cannabis and I say it’s illegal, I can’t talk about it, I’m basically shut off.” — Casarett via WTVD 

House Speaker Tim Moore (R) as said that he supports legalizing medical cannabis but that the proposal is unlikely to be considered in the House because not enough House Republicans support the issue. The new language seeks to get the approval from the chamber’s more conservative members.  

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Republican state lawmakers in the House of Representatives plan to vote to override three of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes Wednesday, putting each of the bills just one step away from becoming law.

One bill would undo some of the juvenile justice reforms North Carolina implemented in 2019.

Another would allow billboard companies to cut down more trees on the side of the road, and would raise toll road late fees by as much as 50%.

The third is a wide-ranging bill that would change the rules for wearing face masks in public, enact new civil and criminal penalties targeting protesters, and change state campaign finance laws to create loopholes around North Carolina’s ban on making unlimited or anonymous financial contributions to political candidates.

If the House votes to override Cooper’s vetoes of all three bills, the state Senate would then likely take its own override votes on Thursday.

If the override votes pass the Senate — which they’re expected to since Republicans control a veto-proof supermajority of 60% of the seats — then the bills will become law.

Peach season has arrived and it’s as sweet and juicy as ever. From the mountains to the beach and all the lakes and farmland in between, peaches represent that quintessential summer treat. What many North Carolinians may not know is that our very own state grows its fair share of these delectable stone fruits.

Between 2017 and 2022, the number of peach farms and total peach acreage increased in North Carolina. As of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, North Carolina had 356 peach farms on a total of 1,273 acres.

So buy yourself a bushel at a roadside stand, unfold your lawn chair, and dig into some fun facts about North Carolina’s perfect peaches.

Not all peaches are created equal. Plant breeders at several land-grant universities across the country spend decades developing unique varieties tailored to regional climates, pest pressures, and diseases while ensuring excellent texture and flavor. Like other fruit trees, peaches need to spend a certain number of hours at cold temperatures in the winter to bear fruit and avoid spring frost damage. North Carolina farmers are able to grow peaches today because NC State’s now-retired peach breeder developed varieties specifically suited to North Carolina’s climate.

“Anything we want to grow here in North Carolina has high chill requirements — around 1,000 or more chilling hours,” says Jeremy Martin, superintendent of the Sandhills Research Station in Montgomery County. “But folks south of us want 850 or less because they don’t have to worry as much about spring freezes. A lot of Clemson’s releases therefore have lower chilling hours with earlier bloom times. Luckily, we still have NC State varieties that are reliable for our climate, but they’re unlikely to be improved upon over time.”

Chilling hours: the number of total hours that a fruit tree must spend in temperatures below 40°F during the dormant (winter) season.

Since NC State University’s peach breeder retired several years ago, the university has partnered with Clemson University and the University of Arkansas to continue breeding peaches.

“The peach industry in North Carolina has changed a lot,” Martin says. “The pack-and-ship peach industry is almost completely gone with the closest operation in Macbee, South Carolina. Most of the peach growers in North Carolina are growing more for the fresh market in their immediate areas on less than 100 acres. Social media has helped a lot with getting the word out about their peaches.”

The Sandhills Research Station was originally founded as a working peach farm. It has since been used by breeders and researchers across academic departments for its unique soil type. The area’s namesake sandy soils drain quickly, allowing faculty to put peach trees and many other crops through severe stress tests to develop better solutions to a changing climate.

“Maybe I’m biased, but peaches from the Sandhills just taste better,” Martin says. “Because of the sandy soils that drain water, sugar builds up in the fruit. If we get hot and dry conditions when the peaches get ripe, they’ll be really sweet and juicy.”