Apparently the Obama administration is hinting at a change in policy on marijuana ("Medical pot policy in limbo," Feb. 8). The time is long overdue to civilize the personal use of this substance for medical purposes or recreation.

I am unaware of any death connected only to marijuana use. And if it cannot be demonstrated to have caused even one death, then I see no health and safety basis for making it a controlled substance. Marijuana is in Schedule I at the federal level along with heroin and mescaline. This is nonsensical.

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A policy aimed at halting the dispensing of narcotic pain medication in Sampson Regional Medical Center's emergency room is a good one that needed implementation.

And while we are sure it will cause hospital personnel untold criticism, it is a move that will help people far more than it will ever hurt them.

On Feb. 1, Sampson Regional implemented a policy that halts the refilling of narcotic pain and sedative medications to those classified as having chronic pain.

According to hospital staff, the new policy requires that doctors and nurses only dispense non-narcotic pain meds to the ERs chronic pain patients, those, defined by the policy as have more than two visits to the emergency department in a month or six visits in a year.

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It's not like he was smoking a crack-pipe," was my immediate reaction to the media hype, and the United States Swimming Association's (USSA) decision to suspend gold-medal-winning Olympian Michael Phelps from competition for three months, after a photo of him taking a hefty rip of marijuana from a tall, glass bong surfaced.

Since the photo of Phelps smoking marijuana at the University of South Carolina-Columbia became public on Jan. 31, Kellogg's Corn Flakes has dropped their $10 million contract with Phelps, claiming that Phelps' behavior does not uphold the morals of the Kelloggs Corporation.

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A bill proposed last week by state Sen. Bill Purcell, a Laurinburg Democrat, is a misguided attempt to control a unique plant that grows in the mountains of southern Mexico (Feb. 17 article "Lawmaker finds a cause in a hallucinogenic mint").

From Dr. Purcell's perspective, I suppose that It doesn't matter that 100,000 people die in the USA every year from the mismanagement of synthetic prescription drugs made by our modern pharmaceutical companies.

But we are being asked by this legislator to believe that criminalizing the use of Salvia divinorum in North Carolina is somehow going to make our state a safer place.

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Phelps scandal exposes two-sided drug attitudes.

The arguments for and against marijuana use have been discussed at length for years. Yes, studies show 42 percent of adults have experimented with pot. Marijuana is the top cash crop in the United States, according to a 2006 study by NORML, a pro-legalization group. But in light of the Michael Phelps marijuana scandal, I want to take the discussion to a different place.

We as Americans are inconsistent when it comes to marijuana issues. When marijuana is connected to whites, it is recreational. With blacks, it is destructive.

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A Country Up In Smoke About Absolutely Nothing

Michael Phelps smoked pot. It's best to just come out and say it. There's no beating around the bush, no sugar-coating it. Now before everyone hops on the phone demanding that Michael Phelps be banned from this country for such atrocious crimes, why doesn't everybody take a deep breath and look at this situation?

For those who are uninformed, a picture of Michael Phelps using a "smoking apparatus" has popped up on the Internet. Following right behind it is the uproar of thousands of shocked parents.

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Hallucinogenic herb used for cheap, legal thrill has lawmakers worried about abuse.

RALEIGH YouTube may prove the downfall of Salvia divinorum. For years, college students have used the hallucinogenic herb for a cheap - and legal - thrill without attracting much attention. But with hundreds of online videos showing people smoking Salvia and dissolving into fits of laughter and hallucination, North Carolina is considering joining 14 other states that have outlawed it.

A bill proposed in the legislature last week would make Salvia a Schedule I drug, equivalent to heroin or LSD.

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RALEIGH - YouTube may prove the downfall of Salvia divinorum. For years, college students have used the hallucinogenic herb for a cheap - -- and legal -- thrill without attracting much attention. But with hundreds of online videos showing people smoking Salvia and dissolving into fits of laughter and hallucination, North Carolina is considering joining 14 other states that have outlawed it.

A bill proposed in the legislature last week would make Salvia a Schedule I drug, equivalent to heroin or LSD.

State Sen. Bill Purcell, a Laurinburg Democrat, said he has no evidence that the herb is being widely abused, but he is concerned about anecdotal reports of people who became violent or suicidal while using it. "Methamphetamine got out of control before we did anything about that," said Purcell, a retired pediatrician. "I'm hoping we can do something sooner this time." A member of the mint family, Salvia was traditionally used in religious rituals by the Mazatecs Indians of Mexico. It first became popular in the United States in the mid-1990s under names such as Magic Mint or Purple Sticky and can be found in head shops in Raleigh and Chapel Hill for as cheap as $14.

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WASHINGTON - Drink and drive and it's grrrrrrrr-eat! Smoke pot and your flakes are frosted, dude.

So seems the message from Kellogg, which has decided not to renew its sponsorship contract with Michael Phelps after the Olympian was photographed smoking marijuana at a party in South Carolina.

That's showbiz, of course, but the cereal and munchie company had no problem signing Phelps despite a prior alcohol-related arrest. In 2004, Phelps was fined and sentenced to 18 months probation and community service after pleading guilty to driving while impaired.

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Editor:

So Michael Phelps got caught smoking pot. Oh, big deal! The media is pretending to take this seriously with headlines such as: "Phelps reputation takes a hit."

Yeah, I get it. Now the Olympic champion has to apologize to the world for what is arguably a fairly common activity for someone his age. One of his sponsors decided to take the "high" ground and is now a former sponsor. Sure, it's illegal. But our society has long come to grips with the reality of the illegality of smoking pot: Don't be stupid and do it in a public area and you'll probably be OK.

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In an effort to reduce the epidemic of prescription drug abuse being felt in Sampson and across the country, emergency physicians at Sampson Regional Medical Center are no longer refilling narcotic pain and sedative medications. Instead of dispensing narcotic pills, they are instead doling out referrals to primary care physicians so patients may receive the proper treatment.

Sampson Regional is another in the growing number of emergency departments taking such measures to reduce the increasing overuse of narcotic and sedative medications used to treat chronic pain.

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If lawmakers are looking for ways to save a lot of money in tight budget times, then they might want to consider a change in how the state punishes nonviolent offenders.

North Carolina could save hundreds of millions of dollars if it would just stop jailing nonviolent offenders. According to the Department of Correction Web site, the state's prisons housed 40,161 inmates as of Feb. 13. The average annual cost per inmate ranges from $22,218 to $32,547, depending on whether a minimum amount of supervision is required or whether correction officials need to watch their every move.

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After reading your opinion page on Sunday, I realized everything in my world was now upside-down. Black was now white, two plus two no longer equaled four, and I'm sure W was somewhere telling a reporter about all of his mistakes.

All of this because, after lo these many years, I agree with Charles Davenport Jr. (Feb. 8). Davenport rightly points out how asinine our laws and attitudes are regarding marijuana. While I don't condone use of marijuana or any other drug, we have made criminals out of millions of people for using a drug less harmful and addictive than others that can be purchased legally.

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Alcohol admissions fall; more people are looking for stronger and quicker highs.

RALEIGH - People who crave the harder, faster highs of cocaine and prescription painkillers are turning up more often in substance-abuse treatment in North Carolina as admissions decrease for people dependent on alcohol, according to new federal data.

The state has gone through a "substantial shift" away from alcohol treatment toward treating a higher percentage of people for drug abuse, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Another factor in the rising number of drug admissions is increasing misuse of prescription drugs such as oxycodone and Percocet, experts said. Abusers of these drugs tend to fall into three categories, said Flo Stein, a division chief at the state Department of Health and Human Services who works on mental illness and substance abuse.

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The N word Michael Phelps shouldn't be held to a different standard Michael Phelps should be able to smoke weed if he wants. Yes, I said it, and I am not a weed smoker.

Some of you might think that I am crazy, but I firmly believe that what people do privately is no one else's concern.

I get it. He's the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, with lots of endorsements and a lot of kids looking up to him, so he should know better and yes, he should do better.

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Help for substance abusers, already in short supply in western North Carolina, is getting harder to find.

The Balsam Center near Sylva, which offered crisis services for substance abusers as well as other services, closed its crisis management and adult recovery unit in December. A patient of Murphy Counseling Services on Valley River Avenue said he has been informed by Murphy Counseling Services personnel that an intensive outpatient program for substance abuse will be discontinued.

One of the biggest problems of the beleaguered mental health system in North Carolina is the lack of available substance abuse programs. James Dustin said he was attending an outpatient program on Jan. 28 at Murphy Counseling Services when the lights went out. Patients were sent home after being told the electric bill hadn't been paid in three or four months.

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Paul McCauley got a bull's-eye (Wake Up And Smell The Cannabis, Feb. 8, 2009) describing the relatively safe, socially acceptable, God-given plant cannabis (marijuana). DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) on the other hand is a menace contributing to increased deadly hard drug addiction rates.

DARE brainwashes youth into believing lies, half-truths and propaganda concerning cannabis, which causes grave future problems.

How many citizens try cannabis and realize it's not nearly as harmful as taught in DARE type government environments? Then they think other substances must not be so bad either, only to become addicted to deadly drugs. The old lessons make cannabis out to be among the worst substances in the world, even though it's never killed a single person.

The federal government even classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance along with heroin, while methamphetamine and cocaine are only Schedule II substances. For the health and welfare of America's children, that absolutely must change.

Stan White

Dillon, Colorado

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"This is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history," News of the World writer Georgina Dickinson said.

Dickinson' statement used in describing a controversial picture of Olympic superstar Michael Phelps allegedly inhaling a marijuana pipe is indicative of the media's vicious nature.

This event is yet another example of American cultures underbelly, with fame and fortune, a normal life becomes almost impossible and while a person such as Phelps should be more aware of their actions, it is unnecessary to tarnish a legacy over one mistake. Phelps has been scorned because of his status as a role model to children and adoring fans alike but the media should be scorned because they are the reason children are seeing Phelps smoking marijuana.

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Stop Digging: Legalize It

Last week my piece discussed the conflicting views on the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes.

I pointed out that while research into the merits of marijuana for medicinal properties is limited, it would be irresponsible to allow for its legal use. I also pointed out that those that promoted the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes did so on the basis that tobacco and alcohol are similarly dangerous and unhealthy but remain legal and so marijuana should be made legal, an argument that does not hold up in the court of critical thinking. But, for the sake of fun let's say that the government did legalize pot. How would they do it and what compromises should be made?

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The arguments for and against marijuana use have been discussed at length for years. Yes, studies show 42 percent of adults have experimented with pot. Marijuana is the top cash crop in the United States, according to a 2006 study by NORML, a pro-legalization group. But in light of the Michael Phelps marijuana scandal, I want to take the discussion to a different place.

We as Americans are inconsistent when it comes to marijuana issues. When marijuana is connected to whites, it is recreational. With blacks, it is destructive.

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