Pubdate: Thu, 16 Apr 2009
Source: Fayetteville Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2009 Fayetteville Observer
Contact:  http://www.fayobserver.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/150
Author: Jennifer Calhoun, Staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

FIGHT TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA MOVES FORWARD

Jean Marlowe started smoking pot nearly 20 years ago when a nurse told
her it might relieve the chronic pain she had suffered from most of
her life.

Since then, Marlowe, now director of the North Carolina Cannabis
Patients Network, has been fighting to make medical marijuana legal in
North Carolina.

But she may not have to fight much longer.

Last week, a bill was introduced in the state General Assembly to
allow patients registered with the state to possess, grow and use the
drug for medicinal purposes.

Patients would be protected from being refused employment, volunteer
positions, organ transplants and child custody rights.

What the bill wouldn't do, however, is legalize marijuana for just
anyone.

Most patients would have to be suffering from debilitating, chronic or
even terminal illnesses that marijuana is scientifically proven to
help, and their doctors must recommend it as a necessary treatment
option.

Medical marijuana is used by patients suffering from various types of
cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), fibromyalgia and glaucoma, to name
a few.

The drug can take many forms and is not always psychotropic, meaning
it won't get you high. It can come in the form of the traditional
joint, or pills, or it can be applied topically for joint pain or
arthritis, Marlowe said.

Many medical organizations and associations have endorsed the use of
the drug for medicinal purposes, including the American Nurses
Association, the American Public Health Association, the American
Society of Addiction Medicine and the Arthritis Research Campaign.

Other groups, such as the American Medical Association, have asked
government health organizations to provide funding for more studies.

Still, others oppose the drug's use, saying it's dangerous, especially
when it's inhaled.

It's an argument state Rep. Nick Mackey, a Guilford County Democrat
who co-sponsored the bill, can't abide.

We allow doctors to prescribe nuclear medicine -- radioactive
medicine," Mackey said. "It's OK to put radioactive materials in a
patient, but not this?"

He added: "Bottom line? I don't think people should have to suffer
when there's a known treatment."

If the bill is passed, North Carolina would join 13 other states that
have medical marijuana programs.

Rep. Earl Jones, the Guilford County Democrat who introduced the bill,
said the program could bring at least $60 million a year in revenue to
the state through licensing fees and taxes.

Growers would be charged an annual fee of $1,000 for a license to
cultivate the plant, and dispensaries would pay $2,000 for a license
to sell it.

Patients would be charged a fee of about $10 to register with the
state and pay sales tax on the product.

But even $60 million or more in extra revenue won't make the bill an
easy sell, Jones said.

So far, few people have come forward to oppose the bill. Still, Jones
is certain the political waters won't stay quiet very long.

You're going to have some people who are just political ideologues --
who, despite the facts and the research, will have philosophical
political opposition to it," he said.

But Jones has been persistent.

Last week, he introduced another bill that would ask for a referendum
to allow state residents to vote on the issue in November, in case the
original bill dies somewhere along the way, he said.

This week, Jones plans to submit a bill that would form a task force
to study medical marijuana programs. He submitted a similar bill last
year, but it was eventually tossed out.

But this year could be different, Jones said, thanks to a new
political climate -- the same one that brought President Obama to the
White House.

Obama recently made good on a campaign promise when newly appointed
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the administration would not
allow federal marijuana laws to supercede state laws.

It's a change from the Bush administration, which started cracking
down on medical marijuana suppliers in states that already had
programs in place.

Dale Gieringer, the California coordinator for the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and one of the
co-authors of California's medical marijuana law, said suppliers in
his state were affected more than patients during the crackdowns.

California, which passed a program into law in 1996, has had numerous
medical marijuana suppliers. Even with the crackdowns, new ones
continued to spring up, Gieringer said.

Obama's election and Holder's announcement may have sparked a dramatic
increase in requests for medical marijuana licenses in states with
active programs, according to a story on MSNBC.com Wednesday.

Some dispensaries reported a 300 percent increase in business since
Obama took office, the article said.

But the North Carolina bill still has a long way to go, Jones
said.

For some people, one plus one is not going to equal two because of
political ideology," he said.

But Marlowe hopes those politics can be overcome.

God created this medicine to be a medicine," she said. "And God
created it for us. I think God has a little bit more of a handle on it
than all these other people." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake