New North Carolina Tax Breaks Finally Going Into Effect in 2019

Sexual assault is an issue that’s garnered plenty of attention in recent years, from the #MeToo movement to the recent revelations regarding a longstanding pattern of sexual abuse perpetrated by R&B superstar R. Kelly. In North Carolina, it’s also a very serious issue, with an average of 36 sexual assault evidence kits collected every week. The problem here in the Tar Heel state is that law enforcement authorities have historically lacked the resources to do much about the problem, with the majority of those kits sitting in storage for lack of the funds to scientifically test and follow up on them.

In January, however, state lawmakers proposed a bill that aims to fix that unacceptable situation. The bill, known as the Standing Up For Rape Victims Act, would introduce a series of reforms and funding streams that would change the way law enforcement deals with the ever-increasing backlogs of sexual assault kits (now numbering over 15,000) and cases that have built up over the last several decades.

The first major change that the measure would put in place would be to allocate a $6 million fund dedicated to helping law enforcement clear much of the existing backlog over the next two years by sending the kits to accredited laboratories for immediate testing, and follow-up by the relevant police jurisdictions. The goal, the bill’s sponsors hope, is to deliver long-delayed justice for the victims and survivors of sexual assault spread all across the state.

To prevent the situation from repeating itself, the bill would also change much about the way future sexual assault evidence and cases are handled. First, hospitals that collect such kits would have 24 hours within which to notify law enforcement that they’ve collected evidence after a sexual assault victim seeks treatment. Then, each kit would be sent to the State Crime Lab within 45 days for genetic and forensic testing, and law enforcement would have a period of 15 days to let the State Crime Lab know if the resulting genetic fingerprint appears in the national CODIS database.

Since the additional demand placed on the State Crime Lab will be considerable, the measure would also allocate $800,000 in recurring funding to help them hire the additional staff required to complete the work accurately and in keeping with the statutory deadlines. Lawmakers hope to create a system capable of keeping up with current and future caseloads so that no victim will ever again find themselves waiting for law enforcement to act.

Ensuring quick testing of all collected sexual assault kits should also increase the odds that perpetrators will be located and charged with the crime. According to the Keller Law Offices, which litigates matters involving such evidence, “For the most accurate results, and to ensure that serial rapists are identified as early as possible, testing of DNA evidence collected in sexual assault kits should not be postponed.” Any delays could introduce inaccuracies and may allow perpetrators to escape justice by calling the validity of testing results into question.

If the measure survives the legislative process, it would go a long way toward ending the suffering of a great many sexual assault survivors and their loved ones. It would grant a great many of them a chance at regaining some normalcy and the comfort of knowing that their attacker is no longer at large, possibly committing further assaults against others. It should also help make it clear to would-be perpetrators that their odds of escaping justice for their crimes are next to nil. In the end, the Standing Up For Rape Victims Act would finally address an issue that has irrevocably changed so many lives in the state, and hopefully help to put an end to a scourge that we, as a community, have ignored for far too long already.

Ignoring the benefits of CBD is something that North Carolina officials have had difficulty doing. State laws are a gray area for CBD because there are limitations in place. G.S. 90-87(16) mentions hemp, and it excludes industrial hemp from being included in the definition of marijuana.

Industrial hemp is legal when THC levels are lower than 0.3%.

Since the hemp would not be considered marijuana and not included in any other state laws, it would appear that CBD oil is legal. Patients who want to use hemp for intractable epilepsy are able to source the hemp legally so long as it has a  THC level of less than  0.9%.

CBD’s Effects and Benefits Without THC

CBD has been used to help people with a number of ailments, and this includes:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Aches
• Pains
• Insomnia

THC, and the reason that NC law requires such a low amount of it, is responsible for the psychoactive effects that come with marijuana. CBD, on the other hand, is responsible for the relaxation and pain-relieving benefits that come with cannabis.

CBD doesn’t bind with the CB1 and CB2 receptors like THC does. Instead, CBD stimulates the body to create endocannabinoids which are responsible for pain relief and relaxation.

Doctors guidance is often best when trying CBD oils, creams or tinctures. Every illness or disease is different, and this goes for ADHD or anxiety, too. Many parents are even helping their children with ADHD that have been using a variety of medications find some form of relief with CBD.

CBD is also not created equal, and some brands can make a person feel sick. You want to do your research on the brand that you’re choosing because a lot of people get sick or find that cheaper brands, often sold in gas stations, didn’t provide them with any form of relief.

But high-end brands which doctors recommend have more stringent manufacturing requirements and provide the relief that patients are seeking.

CBD has been linked to numerous, general medical treatments:

• Anti-inflammatory. CBD can help patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Its anti-inflammatory properties can stop the progression of such diseases.
• Sedative effects have been exhibited in mice, which had stress-induced ulcers. The CBD was able to block anxiety and helped reduce the ulcers in the mice.
• CBD works with the body’s natural antidepressant, anandamide, reducing the breakdown of the molecule to offer a longer-lasting mood-boosting effect.
• Cancer-fighting properties have also been linked to CBD in preclinical studies. Growth of the cells and sometimes the prevention of these cancer cells have also been seen.

The impact and health benefits derived from CBD are still being observed in laboratory settings. There have been studies and applications that show that CBD may also be used to fight chronic opioid addiction.

Of course, epilepsy sufferers have also benefited greatly from CBD, especially in the case of Dravet Syndrome where severe seizures can be deadly and debilitating. These common seizures have been controlled through the use of CBD, and one study showed that CBD, sometimes mixed with THC, reduces frequency of seizures for all types of seizures.