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More than 2 months since the first case was detected in NC, the pandemic seems to have amplified existing disparities in the state. Its full impact is still unknown, but here's what we can tell you. #COVID19NC #coronavirusnc #ruralhealth #RuralCounts northcarolinahealthnews.org/2…

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Sen Brent Jackson

shows hemp flowers in a jar

Cannabis confusion pushes states to ban smokable hemp

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Cannabis confusion pushes states to ban smokable hemp - North Carolina Health News

Lawmakers came and left Raleigh this week to return in April, leaving many issues unresolved. One of the big questions is what to do about smokable hemp, which some law enforcement worry looks too much like marijuana.

By Sophie Quinton Stateline Hemp plants can be made into anything from rope and insulation to granola. But today, most U.S. hemp farmers are growing hemp to produce cannabinoids, such as CBD — which means they’re growing plants that look like marijuana, smell like marijuana and, increasingly, are rolled into joints and smoked like marijuana. […]

shows hemp flowers in a jar

Some NC lawmakers want hemp classified as marijuana, farmers push back — UPDATED

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Some NC lawmakers want hemp classified as marijuana, farmers push back — UPDATED - North Carolina Health News

Law enforcement officers say they can’t tell the difference between hemp and marijuana, so they want it banned. Farmers are finally profiting from the legal crop and don’t want the ban. State lawmakers will take up the now-contentious Farm Act on Wednesday.

By Taylor Knopf Some N.C. lawmakers want to classify hemp — a newly legalized crop — as marijuana because law enforcement officers say they can’t tell the difference between the two. Meanwhile, farmers who are suffering from plummeting commodity prices and hurricane losses say they are finally reaping some real profits from growing hemp. The […]

shows the inside of a crowded poultry house

Senate approves proposed Farm Act of 2019

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Senate approves proposed Farm Act of 2019 - North Carolina Health News

The Farm Act would benefit the biogas industry and restrict the hemp industry, but it will not include a proposed amendment to study dry-litter poultry farms.

By Greg Barnes and Emily Davis A Senate committee approved the proposed Farm Act of 2019 on Wednesday, paving the way for turning hog waste into energy and adding regulations to the state’s growing hemp industry. The proposed bill, which was unanimously approved, now moves from the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee to […]

shows open doors leading into a corridor with heavy windows. An overhead sign reads "Inpatient hospital, 4 South"

Lawmakers Move to Reign in Inmate Drug Costs

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Lawmakers Move to Reign in Inmate Drug Costs - North Carolina Health News

Changes to how the state’s prison system buys and administers medications for expensive conditions such as Hepatitis C could save the state money, but prison officials pushed back on some parts of the plan.

By Rose Hoban Even though members of the General Assembly have said they’ve come to Raleigh for a short, special session to pass bills related to Hurricane Florence relief funding and create rules around voter identification, lawmakers are also pushing the state’s prison system to change the way it purchases some expensive drugs given to […]

two photos, with two sets of signs telling different stories

Contrasting Narratives in Hog Farm Bill Fight

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Contrasting Narratives in Hog Farm Bill Fight - North Carolina Health News

Supporters and opponents of a bill that would limit agricultural nuisance lawsuits made their case to legislators and to Gov. Roy Cooper Monday.

By Catherine Clabby and Rose Hoban People on opposing sides of the increasingly hostile dispute over hog farm lawsuits urged Gov. Roy Cooper to choose sides in Raleigh on Monday. Supporters and opponents each came to the state capital to sound off on the recently passed 2018 state farm bill, a measure that would further […]

man reaches otu to touch a hog that's in a crowded pen.

Hog Farm Lawsuit Protections Pass

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Hog Farm Lawsuit Protections Pass - North Carolina Health News

House members joined state senators to restrict farm nuisance lawsuits.

By Catherine Clabby North Carolina legislators once again have moved to reduce this state’s pork industry exposure to nuisance lawsuits. House members on Thursday approved the NC Farm Act of 2018, which includes provisions that would tightly restrict when neighboring property owners can file nuisance lawsuits against farms producing odors or other noxious conditions. The […]

A lagoon for hog waste. Photo shows a lake of feces next to buildings

Legislators Move to Protect Hog Farms, Again

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Legislators Move to Protect Hog Farms, Again - North Carolina Health News

Most farms using open lagoons and sprayers to manage manure and urine could be shielded from nuisance lawsuits.

By Catherine Clabby Now that neighbors to one hog farm have one court victory against the world’s largest pork producer, state legislators are moving to shield hog farms from nuisance lawsuits. This is not the first time the General Assembly has tightened protections for both livestock growers and the corporations that own the animals they […]

man reaches otu to touch a hog that's in a crowded pen.

Legislators Retreat from Active CAFO Lawsuit Attack

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Legislators Retreat from Active CAFO Lawsuit Attack - North Carolina Health News

A Senate committee backs a bill to limit financial awards in farm nuisance lawsuits, but steers clear of current cases.

By Catherine Clabby State legislators appear to have abandoned a drive to restrict court awards potentially available to some 500 Eastern North Carolina residents suing the world’s largest pork producer over farm odors and other alleged nuisances. Republican members of a Senate committee endorsed a bill Tuesday that would limit compensation in future such cases […]

The burning of manmade materials. Under current state law, manmade materials may not be burned in the open air. Photo courtesy N.C. DENR

Bill Allows Farmers to Burn Plastics, DENR Offers Support

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Bill Allows Farmers to Burn Plastics, DENR Offers Support - North Carolina Health News

In a seeming reversal of policy, the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources is backing a bill that would allow farmers to burn plastics. By Gabe Rivin Since the 1970s, Aubrey Raper and his wife, Linda, have run a farm in the small town of Marshall, in Western North Carolina. The two work a […]

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