It's not only possible to become a state legislator without getting elected, but 31 of the 170 members of the legislature have done it.

Those lawmakers first took office after being selected by a small group of their party's leaders and then being appointed by the governor.

Since the current legislative term began in January, six lawmakers have taken office after their predecessor resigned or, in one case, died. A seventh new legislator will be selected soon to replace Sen. David Weinstein, D-Lumberton, who resigned in September. When a lawmaker leaves office early, his or her party leaders select a replacement who is appointed by the governor.

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N.C. Sen. Bill Purcell rose to ask President Barack Obama a question about prescription drugs.

Purcell is a primary care physician and said his patients sometimes struggle to pay for the medicine they need to get better.

"What can we do about the high cost of medicine in America?" he asked.

Obama said that drugs cost 77 percent more in America than in any other country. Research and development as well as marketing costs play into that disparity, Obama said.

"Basically the pharmaceutical industry can get away with it," he said.

Obama said he would push for allowing Medicare to negotiate for the price of prescription drugs. He also said he would want to see debate about how long drug patents should last. Right now, pharmaceutical companies can hold a patent for 12 years. He would consider lowering that to seven years.

"There's no reason why we should not be able to at least pay in the ball park of what other countries are paying for the exact same drug," Obama said.

The expected Democratic illuminati are at the Obama town hall event.

Conspicuously not here: Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, one of the swing votes that brought President Barack Obama to Raleigh today. Her office cited a conflict, namely that the U.S. Senate is in session.

Here are some of the folks who are here (apologies to those we didn't recognize or spot).

* N.C. House: Reps. Deborah Ross, Pricey Harrison, Verla Insko.

* N.C. Senate: Sens. R.C. Soles, Bill Purcell, Dan Blue, Tony Rand, Charlie Albertson.

* Governors: Jim Hunt (a spokeswoman said Beverly Perdue will be here as well).

* Wake County Commission chairman Harold Webb.

* Democratic Party chairman David Young and John Crumpler, a Raleigh businessman and Obama fundraiser.

* Possible candidates for U.S. Senate against Sen. Richard Burr: N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and lawyer Cal Cunningham.

Update: Post now reflects that Hagan was not in Raleigh because she was working in Washington. 

The legislature moved one step closer today to banning Salvia Divinorum, a legal hallucinogenic herb that studies show is gaining popularity.

A House committee unanimously approved a bill to ban the plant, which comes from Mexico and also is used in landscaping and decoration.

"It is cheap, it is easy to get, and in many states, like North Carolina, it is completely legal," said Sen. Bill Purcell, a Laurinburg Democrat and the bill's sponsor.

The bill would make it unlawful to manufacture, sell, deliver or possess the herb for reasons other than decoration. The first offense would punished by a minimum $25 fine, with tougher sanctions for repeat offenders.

"I'm not interested in putting people in jail over this," Purcell said.

The Senate voted in May to ban the substance. The bill must be approved by one more committee before it reaches the House floor. At least 14 other states have regulated the plant.

Gov. Beverly Perdue will sign the smoking ban Tuesday morning.

The governor will be joined by secretary of Health and Human Services Lanier Cansler, House Democratic Leader Hugh Holliman, Sen. Bill Purcell and other state legislators and officials for the signing.

The 11:30 a.m. ceremony will take place at the Old House Chamber in the state capitol. 

The Senate moved to ban a legal hallucinogenic herb, Salvia divinorum Thursday, hoping to get ahead of a potential drug problem.

Senators voted 45 to 0 to make the substance illegal, following 14 other states that have cracked down on the herb. It has provided college students with a cheap and legal thrill for years.

The bill would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, deliver or possess salvia. The first offense would be an infraction, punishable by a minimum $25 fine.

Salvia is a member of the mint family and was used in religious rituals by the Mazatecs Indians of Mexico. It showed up in the United States in the mid-1990s as Magic Mint or Purple Sticky and can be found in head shops in Raleigh and Chapel Hill for as cheap as $14.

The herb may have been undone by online videos showing people smoking Salvia and dissolving into fits of laughter and hallucination.

A bill would ban a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico.

The legislation filed by Democratic Sen. Bill Purcell of Laurinburg today would add Salvia divinorum to the list of Schedule I drugs, the toughest standard in North Carolina.

Under state law, those drugs must have "a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use" or a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. The list currently includes heroin, LSD and barbiturates, among other hard drugs.

At least six states, including Ohio and California, currently ban Salvia divinorum. Sometimes known as "Sally D" or as "diviner's sage," it is a psychedelic member of the mint family which has been used for centuries in Mexico for healing and divination.

The herb is cheap and does not show up in most drug tests.

Purcell is a retired pediatrician.

Update: Purcell said he became concerned after hearing about people using the herb who became violent or suicidal. He said it appears to be more commonly used in the western part of the state.

"Methamphetamine got out of control before we did anything about that," he said. "I'm hoping we can do something sooner this time." 

A few recent Senate bills of note:

S.B. 131: Penalty for DWI Conviction/BAC .20 or Higher, Sen. Don Vaughan

S.B. 137: Military Death / In-State Tuition / Dependant, Sen. Neal Hunt

S.B. 138: Salvia Divinorum Schedule I, Sen. Bill Purcell

S.B. 147: Tax Credit for Energy-Efficient Homes, Sen. A.B. Swindell

S.B. 155: Community Colleges Can't Admin Illegal Aliens, Sen. Phil Berger

S.B. 157: Eminent Domain, Sen. Phil Berger

State Sen. Bill Purcell attacked John McCain's health care plan today.

At a press conference at the N.C. Democratic Party headquarters in Raleigh this morning, the Laurinburg Democrat argued that McCain's proposals would hurt the existing system of employer-provided health insurance.

A retired pediatrician and longtime state senator, Purcell said that by encouraging individuals and families to buy their own insurance on the open market, McCain's plan would let employers off the hook for providing it.

He also argued that individuals would not be able to negotiate as good a deal as corporations with large blocs of employees can.

"I don't believe the McCain health plan will solve — or even help — our problem in North Carolina," he said. 

Purcell said that Obama's plan would work better because it builds on existing employer-provided insurance plans and expands government programs to help the uninsured. 

The 2007 effectiveness rankings for the legislature have arrived.

The rankings, conducted by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research, is based on a survey of state senators and representatives, a dozen capital correspondents and 614 registered lobbyists after the biannual long session.

Senate President Marc Basnight was the most effective senator for a record eighth time in a row. The other most-effective senators were: Tony Rand, David Hoyle, Dan Clodfelter and Linda Garrou.

The five most effective members of the House were House Speaker Joe Hackney, Bill Owens, House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, Rick Glazier and Jim Crawford.

Rep. Melanie Goodwin made the biggest jump in effectiveness in the House from 73rd in 2005 to 31st in 2007; while Sen. Bill Purcell joined the Senate's Top 10 most effective for the first time.

For the first time, the center asked respondents to consider ethics when ranking effectiveness.