A North Carolina jury took less than an hour on Thursday to find a man who openly ran a medical marijuana operation guilty of drug trafficking.

The jury of six men and six women found Todd Stimson, 44, guilty of two counts of marijuana trafficking in an emotional conclusion to the trial in Henderson County Superior Court, reports Sabian Warren at the Citizen-Times.

Judge Mark Powell sentenced a visibly shaken Stimson to a minimum of 25 months in federal prison, and a maximum of 39 months. Stimson was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

Raleigh, N.C. — Joseph Malinowski told the House Judiciary I Committee on Wednesday that he doesn't want to be a lawbreaker, but neither does he want to suffer with the aftermath of cancer or the symptoms of multiple sclerosis when medical marijuana can ease the pain.

"I spent 21 days in Harnett County jail, first time in my life I've ever been in any kind of trouble," Malinowski said. "But this helps me. I think it could help a lot more people."

Despite pleas from a number of people who testified that medical cannabis has helped treat either themselves or loved ones, the committee rejected legislation that would have legalized marijuana use for certain patients.

North Carolinians are increasingly backing a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in their state, momentum that advocates say could signal a turning point for lawmakers who have tried for years to push legal pot through the Legislature, but to no avail. About 150 people showed up Thursday outside the Statehouse in Raleigh to voice their support for House Bill 78, filed in February, which would allow patients with certain chronic ailments to access medicinal marijuana. The crowd included U.S. veterans with the group North Carolina Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition (N.C. RAMP), according to WRAL-TV.

A North Carolina lawmaker has spearheaded a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state, citing increased public support for legal weed and the inflow of tax revenue that would come with medical pot sales. State Rep. Kelly Alexander, a Democrat, has attempted such legislation three times before but said he’s more confident than ever that the bill could pass this time around. A rally in support of the bill is expected to take place next week outside the Statehouse in Raleigh, according to WSOC-TV.

Good news for marijuana activists! A bill to make legal the use of medicinal marijuana in North Carolina passed its first reading in the General assembly. The bill, created to benefit ill patients, received support from the public and policymakers. The bill opens up people suffering from anorexia, Chron’s and cancer to the option of using medical marijuana.

“It’s logical. It makes sense,” said Representative Kelly M. Alexander, a Democrat. “It really boils down to the fact that there’s evidence that medical marijuana helps in a number of cases like PTSD and [side effects of] chemotherapy.”

Canadian company Hempearth is producing the world’s first hemp plane. That’s right, an aircraft made almost entirely out of hemp. At least 75% of the plane – wings, seats, pillows, and outer shell – will be built from hemp. And, it’ll run completely on hemp-bio fuel. (Note: Henry Ford’s first Model-T car was built to run on hemp gasoline and partly constructed from hemp!) Hempearth says the plane is 2 to 3 times less expensive to fabricate than one made of fiberglass. And it’s more energy efficient to make.