A Fletcher man is using his legal troubles to change laws in North Carolina.
As News 13 has reported, Todd Stimson was arrested and charged with manufacturing marijuana at his home in Fletcher. He claims he was wrongfully accused, and was growing the plants to help people suffering from serious medical conditions. Last week, he and others spoke with state lawmakers about the health benefits of cannabis.
On Thursday, both houses of the General Assembly approved a bill legalizing the use of hemp oil to treat severe epilepsy. Stimson says the move is groundbreaking. “The main thing that pushed it was Senator Apodoca saying that his child, 20 years ago, went through a seizure in the car going down the road and if there was anything he could do to keep a parent from going through that, that he would,” says Todd Stimson.
The oil, which has none of the psychoactive chemicals of marijuana, will be legal for North Carolinians with epilepsy who have not responded to treatment under the care of a neurologist.
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