The state Senate approved a medical marijuana bill, The Compassionate Care Act, last year and this year.

In a sign that medical marijuana could become legal in North Carolina this year, the state House’s Health Committee will discuss a medical marijuana bill at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Tuesday’s hearing is described as “for discussion only,” with no vote planned on the issue. A vote could come later.

The legislation is Senate Bill 3, the Compassionate Care Act. It’s sponsored by Republican Sen. Bill Rabon of Brunswick County.

Rabon’s bill passed the Senate 36-10 on March 1. A similar bill passed the Senate last summer but it never got a hearing in the House.

Will the NC House approve medical marijuana this year?

The Republicans who control the state House are divided on the issue, state House Speaker Tim Moore told North Carolina Public Radio in April. “But I would say that it has a better chance of passing this year than in any time in the past,” he said.

The House may alter the legislation from what the Senate approved.

Under the Senate version of the bill, patients using medical marijuana, or their caregivers, would have to get state-issued cards annually to show they are authorized to purchase it. These cards would cost no more than $50 per year. [Read More @ The Fayetteville Observer]