Bills signed by NC governor address arson, drugs, insurance

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper had signed three bills into law, including one that increases arson punishments and another that addresses federally approved medicines that contain marijuana or its active ingredient. The bills signed Tuesday are the first that the Democratic governor has received — and signed — since the legislature’s annual work session began last month. The prescription drug bill alters the state’s Controlled Substances Act so that a drug containing marijuana and THC automatically becomes lawful if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the drug and other changes are made. The legislation doesn’t legalize marijuana for general use.