These companies – and a governor’s son – are lobbying for NC medical marijuana
The leader of a North Carolina hemp company — who happens to be the son of a former governor — is among the driving forces behind a medical marijuana advocacy campaign at the legislature.
The group N.C. Families for Medical Cannabis has been a big presence at Senate committee hearings on legislation to legalize medical marijuana, bringing together veterans who say marijuana could ease their PTSD symptoms.
The group, which formed in 2017 as N.C. CANN, is releasing more information this week about the businesses and lobbyists working with it to pass Senate Bill 711. The bill’s next hearing was scheduled for the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, but it has now been postponed until next week.
One of the founding members of the group is Garrett Perdue, who’s the founder and CEO of the hemp and CBD products company Root Bioscience. He’s also the son of former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue.
He praised SB 711 in a news release. “Having worked on similar legislation throughout the country, it was obvious a tremendous amount of care and attention went into drafting legislation that ensures we avoid mistakes made in other states,” he said.
Others in the group include the leaders of Curaleaf, which bills itself as “the largest cannabis company in the United States;” Columbia Care, which operates 92 marijuana dispensaries and 30 manufacturing facilities; Trulieve, a Florida-based medical marijuana company; Pharmacann, which has dispensaries and marijuana cultivation operations in six states; Louisiana-based medical marijuana firm Ilera Holistic Healthcare; and Cresco Labs, which has production facilities and dispensaries in 10 states.
N.C. Families for Medical Cannabis hired two veteran lobbyists in May to assist in their efforts, Theresa Kostrzewa and Lisa Martin.
But they’re not the only lobbyists involved with the issue.
According to lobbying registration records, former N.C. Rep. Ed Hanes, D-Forsyth, is leading a group called the N.C. Medical Cannabis Association.
That group lists a headquarters at the Winston-Salem law office of Kilpatrick Townsend. Two lobbyists from that firm, Ches McDowell and Nelson Freeman, are also registered to lobby for the group.
McDowell has served in the past as a staffer for Senate leader Phil Berger, while Freeman is a former advisor to House Speaker Tim Moore. Hanes did not respond to an inquiry about the group last week.
Trulieve, the Florida medical marijuana company that’s involved in Families for Medical Cannabis, also separately hired its own lobbyists in May: Daniel Baum and Bill Scoggin of the firm Navigator.
All of those lobbying registrations occurred after Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon filed SB 711 in April.
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