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Bill Toole
Bill Toole (Democratic Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020.
Toole completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bill Toole was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Haverford College in 1982 and an MBA and law degree from Wake Forest University in 1989. Toole’s career experience includes working in environmental law as a partner with Robinson Bradshaw and Hinson. He is on the board of Goodwill of Charlotte.[1]
Elections
2020
Note: Van Duyn announced March 10 she would not request a Democratic primary runoff, making Lewis Holley the Democratic nominee.[2]
See also: North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020
North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)
North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
Mark K. Robinson defeated Yvonne Lewis Holley in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark K. Robinson (R) | 51.6 | 2,800,656 |
 | Yvonne Lewis Holley (D)  | 48.4 | 2,623,458 | |
| Total votes: 5,424,114 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Yvonne Lewis Holley | 26.6 | 309,274 |
 | Terry Van Duyn | 20.4 | 237,885 | |
 | Chaz Beasley | 18.9 | 219,503 | |
 | Allen Thomas Jr. | 18.8 | 219,229 | |
 | Bill Toole | 9.6 | 111,843 | |
| Ronald L. Newton | 5.7 | 65,970 | ||
| Total votes: 1,163,704 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark K. Robinson | 32.5 | 240,843 |
 | Andy Wells | 14.6 | 107,824 | |
 | Mark Johnson | 12.0 | 89,200 | |
| John Ritter | 11.5 | 85,023 | ||
 | Renee Ellmers | 6.8 | 50,526 | |
 | Greg Gebhardt | 6.8 | 50,474 | |
 | Deborah Cochran | 6.5 | 48,234 | |
 | Scott Stone | 6.5 | 48,193 | |
| Buddy Bengel | 2.8 | 20,395 | ||
| Total votes: 740,712 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bill Toole completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Toole's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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carpenter, journalist, and commercial fisherman before going back to Wake Forest University, where he earned his MBA and law degrees simultaneously. He practiced environmental law for over 25 years at Robinson Bradshaw and Hinson, where he was a partner until he withdrew to return North Carolina to its pragmatically progressive traditions.
Bill has a national reputation for success as an environmental lawyer. He has represented business, industry and environmental groups for more than 25 years. Bill has been the "Volunteer of the Year" for both the Catawba Lands Conservancy and Clean Air Carolinas. He sits on the Boards of Goodwill and North Carolina's Clean Water Management Trust Fund. In 2002 the owner of the Ecusta Paper Mill declared bankruptcy and walked away, leaving taxpayers with a $400 million bill to clean up hazardous waste and coal ash pits that threatened to pollute the Davidson and French Broad Rivers. Bill brought together private and public interests to clean up the site for future development in an arrangement that protected the rivers, saved taxpayers from the cleanup bills, and brought over 500 acres back to productive use
For over 20 years, Bill has been a Democratic Party activist. He has knocked door-to-door, phone
banked, and worked the polls. Bill was Gaston County's Democratic Party chair and served on the Belmont City Council.- Controlled access to cannabis to provide a non opioid pain management option, provide a cash crop to farmers and provide $450 million for schools and and aging loved ones.
- Make public education a priority with teachers assistants in pre-k through 3rd grade and provide modern vocational training in our high schools
- Confront climate change with emphasis on solar and wind renewables
I will advocate for (1) teachers' assistants in every classroom between pre-K and third grade; (2) full-time nurses, psychologists and social workers in every school to help students succeed despite coming to school hungry, homeless or with trauma in the home, and to address North Carolina's high teen suicide rate; (3) establishing modern vocational training in our high schools and community colleges; and (4) recognizing our teachers as professionals through meaningful teacher pay.
I would also advocate for health care that helps families care for loved ones. Assuring quality, affordable healthcare must a top priority in North Carolina. I will fight to strengthen rural healthcare, battle teen depression, and fight the opioid crisis. We must recognize and begin to address the needs of many families struggling to provide long-term care for aging loved ones suffering from illness such as dementia or Alzheimer's.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
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STAND UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Long Strange Trip Over the past several years, we have witnessed the degradation of North Carolina’s public-school system at an astounding rate. The days of leading the nation’s education with innovative ideas like dual-credit programs, a state-wide Pre-K program, and the Learn & Earn model have long passed. As of the 2018, the Tar Heel state is ranked 40th in overall education and 45th in school finance. [1] The change started in 2010, after the General Assembly was taken over by the Republicans. The formerly bipartisan support for public education began to reflect the state’s transformation into a divisive bureaucracy. Since then, the crafting of legislation regarding the state’s public schooling has been simply abysmal. Most of the policies have been taken from other states haphazardly, disregarding evidence of viability and elements which need to be specifically adapted to North Carolina. The obvious faults went unimpeded because the now partisan Assembly stuffed these plans into budgets rather than standalone bills. This meant: (1) the policies did not need to be debated in a committee before heading to the floor (2) individual policies that would usually not be supported were scrambled with several more agreeable ones which members are pressured into backing. That is compounded by the GA’s move to incapacitate the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (Ed Oversight) and the Senate Education Appropriation subcommittees (Ed Appropriations). Historically, Ed Oversight would meet regularly during legislative interims to propose innovative public education reform. It convened once in the 15/16 interval and not at all in the 16/17 interval. The Ed Appropriations committee-which is responsible for creating the state’s education budget-meets a fraction of what it once did. Unremarkably, 2017 was the first year in the committee’s history in which it presented 0 in-depth reviews of K-12 funding issues. [3] We have given these elected officials the opportunity to make positive change, but ultimately, they seem uninterested in fixing the problems right in front of them. Let’s hold the self-serving politicians accountable and work together to solve our great state’s dilemmas. Each student should graduate from our public schools so well prepared as to be eligible to enter North Carolina higher education (either university or community college) without needing remedial work. Broken legs without a band-aid There is no dialogue between the state officials and the people with hands on experience in education. At the teacher rally in Raleigh and other events across the state, I spoke with hard working educators about the factors holding back our future generation from an adequate public education. These are the folks, along with Depart of Public Instruction employees and the academic community, whose input has been systematically phased out by the GA over the past 7 years. They are the ones we need to be hearing from the most regarding a system where excellence, not adequacy, should be the goal. Here are the topics I heard come up time and again along with how the politicians in-office have carelessly handled them. Class Size There have been numerous studies which show the positive correlation of smaller classes on learning. Our state’s large average class-size remains an issue today as the GA continues to postpone a mandatory size reduction in grades K-3 without providing the necessary funding. Without more relief, schools will be forced to let go of elective teachers (music, art, technology, etc.) or reassign grade 4-12 (where there is no size restriction) teachers. It’s an unseemly choice to give. Instead, we must reorganize the budget so that at least 63%-as under Jim Hunt-is devoted to education rather than the current 57%. [2] We need to be more pragmatic. Class-size is important, but it is not the end-all variable for a good education. Eric Hanushek, whom many consider the leading expert on the class-size debate, compares a 10-student reduction to switching the teacher with a moderately better replacement. So, we should also consider raising teacher pay to incentivize quality future educators while hiring more teacher aids for a sound pupil-instructor ratio. [3] Charter Schools I hear a lot of resentment towards charter schools, and I understand the frustration. As charter schools are today, they are leeching valuable resources from public schools without providing a better alternative to students. This is largely due to their lack of restrictions: no class-size requirements, no standard curriculum, no specification for teacher licensing, no mandatory student transportation. Moreover, the past few years have demonstrated that the introduction of charter schools has at first led to self-segregation and eventually culminated in state facilitated segregation through bills like HB514, permitting certain schools in majority white suburbs to restrict access. However, I do believe there’s a place for a limited number of charter schools in North Carolina. They could function as a pre-professional alternative that’s held accountable for preparing students to join the skilled workforce. College is not for everyone and charter schools could help this niche invaluably. [4] Vouchers It’s inevitable that I repeat the same sentiments: there is 0 accountability in-office, and that has poisoned the legislation since 2010. The voucher initiatives are no exception. There is no place for a voucher system in North Carolina. The state’s educational system cannot be thought of as a market in which students are ‘buyers.’ We owe the kids an opportunity for a future like the one we’ve had, and we don’t do it by siphoning money away from public schools to create a system that is abused by private schools-which have not been properly evaluated- and by families who do not need aid. [2] Some think that this crisis doesn’t affect them because they don’t have children, or their children go to private schools. The fact is, a poor public educational system affects us all. If a large portion of our workforce lacks basic skills and creativity, how can we expect to compete in the economic marketplace? What about other issues we care about? How will the state be able to fund solutions when it has a lower tax base due to an uneducated majority? I’m willing to take the responsibility. It will be a challenge, but the alternative is unfathomable. As a lawyer, I’ve the sense to see which policies are practical and the rhetoric to sway my reasonable peers. I hope you feel the passion behind my words because I truly believe this is the state’s greatest plight right now. It’ll also be the one I’ll be most involved with as your Lt. Governor and member of the State Board of Education. I can’t do it without your help though, so as always, I encourage you to reach out and give your perspective on the subject. Let’s get back on track! PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES With the evolution of energy production and its growing demand since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, mass energy consumption has constantly risen. The adverse effects of such consumption are evident in extreme environmental occurrences that lie well outside the Earth’s natural cycle. The deterioration of the environment has gotten to the point where everyone is affected, and it will take a conscious effort by every individual to stop this crisis. Why Do I Care? As a North Carolinian, one mustn’t look far to see the severity of the current situation. Air contamination has affected the health of countless residents. Power plants across the state release sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM2.5) sulfate, and mercury byproducts into the air. Exposure to these substances can result in increased risk of COPD, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, data shows that reducing the levels of these toxins in our air will reduce the death rate by emphysema, asthma, and pneumonia. Some action was taken in 2002 by means of the Clean Smokestacks Act which improved North Carolina air quality by facilitating the decommissioning of many coal-fired power plants and the use of reduction technology. SO2 and PM2.5 concentrations have decreased by 20.3% and 8.7% per year respectively since then. UNC researchers state that this improvement prevented 1700 premature deaths in 2012. So, the benefits of reducing these harmful emissions is clear and more must be done as many researchers believe that even low dose exposure to pollutants like PM2.5 can exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, our concerns with environmental contamination does not end with air quality. North Carolina water in several communities has been compromised or is vulnerable due to aging or damaged wastewater treatment systems and unregulated manure dumping by local farms. The health effects of contaminated water are well documented. If not dealt with, civilians risk contracting a multitude of gastrointestinal illnesses, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders. That solely outlines the health risks coinciding with the state’s present trajectory; however, the change in climate is a huge threat as well. The climate is warming as a direct result of pollution and the consequences will threaten the livelihood of current and future North Carolinian generations. Projected sea level elevation could result in the loss of land along the low lying Coastal Plain, forcing residents to leave homes and jobs. Storms will intensify as the climate warms, increasing the chances of flash flooding and home destruction across the state. The other extreme will also become more frequent as drought and heat waves jeopardize agriculture. How Do We Change? It’s clear we as Carolinians must change, not only for the well-being of ourselves, our children, and our neighbors, but also to provide an example for worldwide reform. Talk about the issues. The first step is making everyone aware of the obstacles we face. In 2012, North Carolina lawmakers banned state officials from using scientific data to plan against climate change, and the ignorance among in-office policymakers has continued since. The Republican General Assembly has eliminated 69 DEQ enforcement positions – meaning there are not enough regulators to police industries’ environmental compliance. Even if there were enough regulators, legislators have not created laws that fully encompass the issues, such as farm waste disposal, toxic emissions not covered by the EPA, and damaged wastewater treatment systems. North Carolina has the potential to increase its energy efficiency by 20% by 2035 but will not do so without the introduction of new policy. The handling of monopoly Duke Energy is an example. The provider is left unregulated in terms of energy efficiency and emission rates. AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL In North Carolina, we have a structured healthcare system that needs to be further funded to manage current and impending crises. The major issues we can tackle with additional resources include senior and rural healthcare, teen depression, and the opioid epidemic. And fortunately, the capital to do this could become available by expanding Medicaid. Seniors & Caretakers The state’s senior population is growing, and we’ll need more facilities and programs to accommodate the spike. Sponsoring the new Division of Aging and Adult Services would be a significant step in the right direction. The breakthrough agency has already had much success in local senior-care training, statistical research and policy recommendations, so its expansion would be a relief on several struggling communities as well as individual caretakers. The number of these caretakers is increasing as more families without the means to hire aid are having to care for aging loved ones, many of which have some form of dementia. In fact, 1 in 10 North Carolinians are likely to develop Alzheimer’s (only one type of dementia) by the age of 65, and as the son of a father suffering with the disease, I know how expensive treatment can be – over $95,000 on average. In many cases, a wife, daughter or sister is the one sacrificing her career to help, and value of this unpaid care usually exceeds $143,000. Public action could involve family assistance for a couple of days a week or financial support. In any case, some sort of concrete strategy is needed sooner rather than later. Rural Communities We have all bore witness to the matters city politicians choose to ignore, and it’s the rural working class that often suffers. I was astounded to learn that as recent as 2017, 3 counties did not have any primary care provider, 17 had no general pediatrician, and 27 had no obstetrician/gynecologist. These troubling statistics were made real talking face to face with hardworking farmers and fisherman from across the state. They deserve access to quality healthcare which they will need in their physically demanding professions. Again, solutions revolve around state backing. Physicians can be attracted to low density areas by higher salaries and better working hours, and communities should start programs that encourage local students to pursue careers in healthcare. Unfortunately, not only is there a lack of funding, but there is also a lack of coordination between local organizations and state operations. Teen Depression Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and 17 in North Carolina. That rate has doubled in the past 10 years. In 2017, 16% of high school students reported considering suicide. This data scares me, and I can only imagine the anxiety it brings parents of today’s teenagers. Much of the problem lies in our behavioral health systems. Schools should invest in destigmatizing mental health discussion and provide access to a psychologist on campus. If partnerships between schools and behavior health providers are correctly established the cost to make these crucial changes will be manageable, and the results will avert so much pain and suffering. The Opioid Epidemic Drug abuse is on the rise in the nation, and it’s become a crisis in our own back yard. We have gone from 109 overdose deaths related to opioids in 1999 to 1,953 in 2017 – a rate of 19.8 deaths per 100,000 people (the national average is 14.6). Many people start using opioids to treat pain, but soon become dependent due to the extremely addictive nature of the drugs combine with reckless over prescription. The key to halting the growing number of victims lies within the role of practitioners and providers. They must take on more responsibility and use it to change prescribing practices, raise awareness about the risk of addiction, and better identify dependent individuals. The federal government has already acted on this realization through the 21st Century Act which further funds providers so that they can take on their new roles. North Carolina needs to follow suit with its own policy since the severity of the epidemic is such that only a coordinated approach from the national level down will ensure significant progress. Medicare Expansion All of this reform is essential for giving each and every one of our family, friends, and neighbors a quality standard of living, but it does require capital. Some funding can come from rearranging the budget to prioritize these prominent issues. However, another clear way to get the money is by expanding Medicaid. The states who have already expanded their Medicaid have saved hundreds of millions because of the reduction of expenditure on services that were taken over by Medicaid and the increase in tax revenue resultant of economic activity generated by the expansion. Michigan is on track to save a net $1 billion while Virginia and Arkansas will save over $400 million by 2021. There is no reason we can’t save just as much without increasing taxes since the state share of the cost for the expansion will be entirely supported by hospitals and health plans. Actually, we’re already paying for Medicaid expansions in other states through over $1 billion a year in taxes. We owe it to ourselves to bring those dollars back home. The benefits are not only financial. Obviously, more residents will become insured, but a few other less predictable perks have emerged in other states. Enlarging Medicaid’s reach increases the availability of urgent care and retail clinics. Additionally, it allows safety net institutions to remain in practice consequent of large decreases in uncompensated care by uninsured patients. The figures don’t lie. There is a straightforward path towards progress, and it comes from caring for every diverse community that makes up this great state! CONTROLLED ACCESS TO CANNABIS The time has come to let North Carolinians decide for themselves whether to have controlled access to cannabis. “Controlled access” means there would be no sales to anyone under the age of 21 and use in public would remain prohibited. Additionally, we propose all criminal convictions for possession of up to 1.5 oz of cannabis should be automatically expunged. Polling from 2018 shows 80% of voters support controlled access for medical purposes.[i] So let’s allow communities decide whether adults can purchase cannabis, just as we do for liquor sales. To bring jobs to our rural communities, let’s require that 90% of all cannabis sold be grown in North Carolina. This will ensure jobs stay in our rural communities. Because simple marijuana arrests constitute more than 60% of North Carolina’s drug possession arrests[ii], allowing controlled access means we could re-focus scarce law enforcement resources on our serious criminal issues. Imagine all the time that will be dedicated to taking down dangerous opioid and methamphetamine trafficking networks. State revenues from controlled access are projected to bring $450 million each year. These funds will allow us to begin to address important behavioral health issues like teen suicide and the opioid crisis. In North Carolina, we will take a measured approach to how controlled access will be made available. For example, liquor is sold to persons 21 and older, after voters decide whether liquor can be sold in their community. Allowing normalized, taxed and controlled access the same way we do for liquor just makes sense. Controlled Access Would Generate $450 million Annually Controlled access is estimated to generate $450 million new revenues each year, based upon the results seen in other states. For comparison, North Carolina collected over $448 million in ABC revenues in 2018. And about $80 million (18%) went to city and county governments.[iii] Colorado (roughly half the population of North Carolina) collected $247 million from cannabis sales in 2016.[iv] The funds from such sales should be split between local and state government, just as we now do with ABC liquor sales. We could use the revenues to support badly needed health care in our schools and communities. Only $26.8 million (less than 6%) of the 2018 ABC liquor revenues went to alcohol education and rehabilitation.[iii] With new revenues generated from controlled access, $337.5 million (75%) could be used to place nurses, social workers and psychologists in each public school to help confront teen depression, suicide, the consequences of hunger, homelessness, and in-home home trauma that one in four of our school children now face. Counties and municipalities will have the choice to use their share of the revenues ($93.6 million, or 21%). This money will help fund behavioral health, alcohol and drug treatment, and combat the opioid health crisis. Controlled Access Gives Our Rural Farming Communities Opportunity Rural unemployment is persistently high. At least 39 counties have unemployment rates above the national average.[v] Raleigh politicians have not acted to improve those economies for the last decade. Mainstay row crops such as corn and soybeans barely pay the bills. Producing cattle is only marginally profitable. North Carolina’s 46,000 farms need crops that generate more profits and create more jobs. Controlled access gives our farmers the opportunity to grow valuable cash crops again. In Canada, where cannabis use is legal, cultivation managers, quality assurance professionals, cultivation assistants and processing assistants earn between $81,000 and $103,000 per year. The average national wage in Canada is around $51,000 per year.[vi] Here in the US, assistant cannabis growers earn $20.55 per hour on average and master growers typically earn $104,000 a year.[vii] North Carolina’s agricultural industry contributes $84 billion to the state’s economy, accounts for more than 17% of the state’s income and employs 17% of the workforce.[viii] North Carolina’s historical relationship with tobacco means our farmers are in the perfect position to create new jobs, if only our politicians will let them. We must demand Raleigh legislators give our farmers a chance to create more jobs and establish themselves as leaders in the market for what will soon become a high value American crop. Controlled Access Means Safer Communities Our teens can easily buy cannabis today because we aren’t controlling the access. What’s sold can be laced with any number of toxic substances. Controlling sales keeps marijuana out of the hands of children and makes sure what’s sold is safe and unadulterated. “Prohibition has cost American taxpayers more than $1 trillion and has been largely ineffective in decreasing marijuana use,” notes Prof. Jeff Miron, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Harvard’s Economics Department and Director of Economics Studies at the Cato Institute.[ix] Just like the 1920’s Prohibition ban on liquor that brought us gangsters like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, today’s fifty-year prohibition on cannabis can put distribution and sale in the hands of gangs willing to commit crimes to control turf. “Legalization opponents claim that drugs increase violent or criminal tendencies, but any association between drugs and violence arises mainly from prohibition’s impact on drug markets. […] Prohibition raises drug prices, which motivates some consumers to commit crimes to fund their drug use,” says Miron.[ix] Possession and use of marijuana under 1.5 ounces is a criminal misdemeanor in North Carolina. Punishment is typically a minor fine, community service, and can lead to up to 45 days in jail. Possession is now a crime because no politician has had the courage to say the truth – controlled purchase, personal possession and home use of marijuana should be legal. Still, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report shows arrests for marijuana possession consume a great deal of North Carolina’s law enforcement resources. More than 60% of all North Carolina’s drug possession arrests were for possession of up to 1.5 oz of marijuana in 2016 and 2017 — between 13,700 and 16,400 arrests for each of those years.[ii] In contrast, less than 25% of arrests were for possession of dangerous narcotics like opium. The numbers show that marijuana enforcement makes up a large part of many police agencies’ caseloads. Federal drug task forces and forfeiture rules encourage this misallocation of drug enforcement resources because cannabis is easy to find, and local agencies get to keep cash and other valuables they find in the course of a bust. We are wasting precious law enforcement resources on marijuana possession arrests, resources that should be devoted to confronting the serious law enforcement concerns in our communities. Opioid overdose death rates in states with marijuana access are nearly 25 percent lower than in states without, and abuse-related hospitalizations are also 23% lower.[x] Reports have found that in the majority of states that have approved medical marijuana, use among teenagers has actually decreased. Experts say this is due to a diminished “forbidden fruit” effect and decreased access to marijuana as it moves from the unregulated streets – where there are no age requirements – to inside licensed dispensaries, where you need to be 21 to purchase marijuana.[xi] The evidence shows that most people can use cannabis safely. Of course, there are always those who lack the restraint for responsible consumption, but the repercussions are much more severe with other substances. When people consume too much alcohol, it can be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control reports 88,000 alcohol-related deaths each year, with binge drinking accounting for about half of these deaths.[xii] The number of deaths caused by cannabis is almost zero, with one study finding that it would take an ounce or more of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis) to be fatal.[xi] Men who use cannabis are less likely to commit an act of intimate partner violence than those who use alcohol, according to a study published last year.[xii][xiii] Controlled Access Allows Medical Use Cannabis has medicinal value, particularly for pain management and cancer patients. “The most common use for medical marijuana in the United States is for pain control,” says Peter Grinspoon, a Practicing Physician and Professor at Harvard Medical School. “While marijuana isn’t strong enough for severe pain (for example, post-surgical pain or a broken bone), it is quite effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age.”[xiv] “The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them,” says Joycelyn Elders, ’93-’94 Surgeon General.“And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.”[xv] “I think obviously physicians make decisions based on their relationship with a patient. Do I believe that medical marijuana should be available in that equation? I do, yes,” says David Satcher, ’02-’06 Surgeon General. “I’m not convinced that there’s any evidence that marijuana is any more harmful, maybe not as harmful, as alcohol and tobacco. I’m not pushing marijuana, I’m just saying … physicians ought to be able to make decisions about the use of medical marijuana. I’m not advocating for any new drug on the street.”[xv] In 2014, North Carolina took a small step forward, enacting a CBD-focused law for patients with intractable seizure disorders. The law leaves most patients behind and fails to provide an in-state source for cannabis extracts. Controlled Access Just Makes Sense An Elon College poll taken in 2017 found 80% of North Carolina voters support controlled access for medical purposes. Support was broad across political party, age, gender and race.[i] As of last month, 33 states (including Michigan, Utah and Colorado) have cannabis access laws – whether for medical use or controlled access.[xvi] It’s time North Carolina joins them.[3] |
” |
| —Bill Toole 2020 campaign website[4] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ ’’Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 13, 2020’’
- ↑ Smoky Mountain News, "Van Duyn won't call for runoff in lieutenant governor election," March 10, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bill Toole 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed March 1, 2020
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