North Carolina
North Carolina officials pushing to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana
![North Carolina officials pushing to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana North Carolina officials pushing to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/10/North-CarolinaMarijuana.jpg)
North Carolina’s two prime Democratic state officers are urging the Republican-led legislature to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of marijuana in gentle of President Joe Biden’s pardon Thursday of hundreds of Individuals convicted of “easy possession” underneath federal regulation.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Lawyer Basic Josh Stein, the state’s prime lawyer who’s contemplating a run for governor in 2024, shared their help for the president’s resolution at a Friday process power assembly on racial fairness and prison justice.
Established by Cooper in June 2020 after George Floyd’s homicide, the 24-member panel of regulation enforcement officers, attorneys, civil rights advocates and state officers had really useful in a 2020 report that state lawmakers change the misdemeanor cost for possessing as much as 1.5 ounces of marijuana with a civil offense on par with a site visitors infraction.
The Basic Meeting didn’t act on this suggestion.
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“Conviction of easy possession can mar individuals’s data for all times and possibly even forestall them from getting a job,” Cooper advised the duty power Friday. “The Basic Meeting didn’t move your suggestions on this final session, however I consider they need to. North Carolina ought to take steps to finish this stigma.”
Acknowledging that drug charging practices disproportionately impression individuals of coloration, Biden known as on governors Thursday to problem related pardons for these convicted of state marijuana offenses, which mirror the overwhelming majority of possession instances. Though nobody is at the moment in federal jail solely for “easy possession” of the drug, in accordance with the White Home, Biden stated the pardon may assist hundreds overcome obstacles to renting a house or discovering work. His pardon excludes these convicted of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
A demonstrator waves a flag with marijuana depicted on it throughout a protest calling for the legalization of marijuana on April 2, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina officers are pushing for the decriminalization of small quantities of marijuana within the state.
(AP Picture/Jose Luis Magana, File)
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Cooper, who’s term-limited and can’t search reelection in 2024, stated he has requested attorneys to look at state regulation and decide whether or not North Carolina can and may take additional motion to pardon these convictions. The clemency provision of the state structure grants the governor near-absolute pardoning energy.
Whereas federal regulation nonetheless classifies hashish as a Schedule I drug, 19 states and the District of Columbia have legalized its leisure use, and 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized its medical use, in accordance with the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures. North Carolina, nevertheless, has been gradual to comply with swimsuit.
The Republican-led state Senate handed a invoice earlier this yr with robust bipartisan help that might have legalized marijuana for medical use with a doctor’s prescription, if bought by means of dozens of tightly regulated dispensaries.
However the invoice idled within the Home, the place many Republicans held reservations about legalizing hashish in any kind. Opponents of the invoice warned the well being advantages stay unsure and will not outweigh the well being dangers.
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Home Speaker Tim Moore stated in June that the chamber would wait till 2023 to rethink legalizing medical marijuana.
Present state regulation makes possession of greater than 0.5 ounces punishable by as much as 45 days in jail and as much as $1,000 in fines, with out exemptions for medical use. Possession of greater than 1.5 ounces is classed as a felony.
“Folks mustn’t have a federal prison report for one thing that’s authorized in an growing variety of states,” Stein stated Thursday. “Let’s act, and let’s get it proper. Meaning decriminalizing grownup use, expunging previous convictions for easy possession, and together with robust protections for youths, no promoting, state managed gross sales and placing N.C. farmers first.”
Though Black and white North Carolina residents use marijuana at roughly the identical price, the duty power discovered that folks of coloration make up a disproportionate share of these convicted of easy possession, paralleling nationwide issues of racial bias. Roughly 60% p.c of North Carolinians convicted for possessing as much as half an oz of marijuana in 2019 have been non-white, in accordance with the latest report.
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North Carolina
Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline
![Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline](https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Vice-President-Harris-in-Fville.png)
Enthusiasm is growing among Asian Americans in North Carolina.
With Kamala Harris stepping into the race and the potential for the country’s first president of Asian American heritage, it’s ignited excitement in the community.
“I’ve already participated in a half dozen Zoom calls about ways members of the Asian American community can help and turn out the vote,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County.
Harris marked many “firsts” when she became vice president after the 2020 election: she was the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American in that position. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian.
Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“What people are excited about is recognizing the historical significance of it, that her lived experiences as an Asian American and Black woman really bring a different, inclusive level of representation to the highest level of government,” North Carolina Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said.
The organization is focused on channeling that energy into voter outreach efforts, as well as raising awareness and education about key down ballot races.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in North Carolina has steadily increased in recent years.
It’s grown 63.3 percent since 2012 for a population size of about 456,655 in 2024, according to AAPIVote — a nonpartisan group dedicated to strengthening civic engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
There are roughly 235,900 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in North Carolina, marking a 55.4 percent growth in voter eligibility from 2012 to 2022.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 2.97 percent of the electorate in the swing state. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes.
“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that major campaigns cannot ignore us anymore,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We are too consequential to elections — every election, local, state, and federal, where we’re changing the political landscape in North Carolina.”
The population is concentrated around urban areas. Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, and Orange counties have the highest proportions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Nearly 60 percent of Asian American adults in North Carolina speak a language other than English at home, according to AAPIVote.
Along with low voter contact, language barriers have accounted for low voter turnout for Asian Americans.
“We do see the gaps when it comes to language access and communication,” Rep. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County, said. “We know that we need to continue that and more so now.”
That’s why groups like NCAAT work to make voting as accessible as possible. In the past, NCAAT has translated mailers into different languages and made an effort to reach out to voters in their native tongue.
Another issue is avoiding treating the Asian American community as a monolith. With so many different backgrounds and cultures, there’s a wide variety of views across the political spectrum.
“A majority of AAPI voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We’re really independent thinkers who are voting on issues and not all party lines.”
Top issues vary for individual voters, but there are general themes.
Younger voters prioritize lowering the cost of living, protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and making healthcare more affordable, according to a poll by NCAAT. Older voters are more concerned about crime and public safety, as well as the economy and job creation.
The Harris campaign has invested more money into more media than ever in order to reach Asian American voters, according to the campaign.
“In just the first week since Vice President Harris became the presumptive nominee of our party, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from AANHPI voters across North Carolina who are fired up to elect Kamala Harris as the first Asian American president in U.S. history,” according to Natalie Murdock, the campaign’s North Carolina political and coalitions director.
North Carolina
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Drops Out of Harris’ Veepstakes
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday withdrew his name from contention to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. In a social media statement, Cooper thanked Harris for her campaign’s consideration and reaffirmed his confidence in her victory. “This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” he said. “She has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins.” A source told The New York Times, which reported Cooper’s veepstakes exit before his announcement, that his team had reached out to Harris’ campaign a week ago to say he did not want to be considered. Sources told Politico and NBC News that Cooper had dropped out for a few reasons, including a possible U.S. Senate run in 2026 and fears that North Carolina’s conservative lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, might try to seize power if he left the state to campaign. Harris is aiming to announce her pick for No. 2 by Aug. 7, when the Democratic Party kicks off its virtual nomination process. The party convention is slated to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Read it at The New York Times
North Carolina
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper backs out of consideration to be Harris’ running mate
![North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper backs out of consideration to be Harris’ running mate North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper backs out of consideration to be Harris’ running mate](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2023-10/231010-roy-cooper-jm-1457-e8449b.jpg)
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has informed Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign that he does not want to be under consideration in her search for a vice presidential candidate, the governor said Monday night.
Cooper said in a statement explaining his decision that although he was taking himself out of consideration for the role, he’s still backing Harris’ candidacy.
“I strongly support Vice President Harris’ campaign for President,” Cooper said. “I know she’s going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role. This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.”
“As I’ve said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins,” he added.
The New York Times first reported that Cooper was withdrawing his name from consideration.
One source directly involved in Harris’ search for a running mate said Cooper took himself out of the mix because he wants to run for the U.S. Senate in 2026. The source said Cooper never indicated to the campaign that he wanted to be vice president and told Harris aides that he did not want to be considered.
NBC News previously reported that interviews with some Democratic insiders pointed to Cooper, along with Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as top contenders to join Harris on the Democratic ticket.
Other governors, including Kentucky’s Andy Beshear and Minnesota’s Tim Walz, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are among those who have also been floated as potential running mates.
The Harris campaign previously said she plans to select a running mate by Aug. 7.
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