Dear Editor,

In light of other states joining the war on chronic disabilities by legalizing Medical Marijuana I would like to voice concern that NC will not take this need seriously. I am a long time sufferer of Migraines and other disabilities that warrant the use of pain medications and medicines that help my mental conditions. Along with the many medications I take, there are many side effects that bother me. Most of the side effects can be treated by the use of medical marijuana but at this time can't because it is illegal. NC already has Marinol on the market, which is a chemists' version of THC, the main chemical in marijuana. If they could take the other chemicals in marijuana and put in to the same pill I feel it would work even better, however, allowing us to smoke the natural herb would be more beneficial than taking chemicals on top of the other chemicals we already take for our illnesses and pain. What would it hurt? No one who is sick and can benefit. It has more uses, medic! ally than alcohol yet it is legal to drink and get high. It is far more effective than cigarettes but they are legal as well. It would seem that we have an upside down approval because cigarettes and booze have no medicinal purposes whatsoever. I would just like to add the following question, what kind of representation do we have when they will not vote for us to have some relief from our disabilities?

Patrick ODell

Wilmington

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No matter where you stand on the issue, there is something very satisfying about seeing how much people can affect the world around them, and medical marijuana is a prime example of the public changing the law.

Twenty years ago, Nancy Reagan and D.A.R.E. were the leaders of marijuana "education." This education, however, resulted in the incarceration of millions for minor drug offenses over the next two decades. But now, the U.S. has its first college devoted to the history and agriculture of that little bud with all the controversy.

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A former Catawba County sheriff's deputy is charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine in Catawba County, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal district court.

Brandon Lee Evans, 27, of Hickory, worked with the sheriff's office from Oct. 13, 2008, until Monday as a part-time bailiff in the courthouse. According to the criminal complaint, Evans conducted narcotics activity as early as 2008 through Monday, sometimes while wearing his uniform.

The complaint alleges he conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing at least five kilograms (about 11 pounds) of a mixture and substance containing cocaine.

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Even though drug testing at work can weed out potential problems for employers, it is still a misguided and ill-principled notion.

Of course, when we talk about drug testing, there are several different kinds acknowledged by officials.

There are pre-employment, post-accident and random drug tests, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The group identifies several reasons why employers drug test.

Namely, employers want to keep employees from taking drugs and alcohol. Employers also want to keep the workplace safe for other employees.

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John Boyle's informative article, "Building with hemp: Asheville on the forefront of a new green technique," (AC-T, Nov. 22), stated, "Hemp is derived from the same plant that marijuana comes from." This is misleading. Both plants are cannabis sativa, but the marijuana cannabinoid is THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), which produces the psychoactive high. The industrial hemp cannabinoid is CBD (cannabidiol), which cannot get you high and actually blocks the effect of THC.

Because they can cross-pollinate, industrial hemp's CBD decreases the potency of THC in any nearby marijuana plant, making marijuana less attractive to grow. Industrial hemp has been recognized as a distinctive and important crop in the U.S. since colonial times, and only recently has it been demonized for its connection with marijuana. Hemp is a hearty, soil-renewing, carbon-negative crop that can yield 2-3 crops a year, requires no pesticides and be used for paper, cloth, oil, food, bio-fuel, bio-plastic, building materials and more. Industrial hemp is a ready solution for many of our 21st century challenges.

Kristine Madera, Asheville

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Drug dealers in Mexico apparently are taking full advantage of a United States program that's supposed to speed passage at border checkpoints. The program, called the Custom-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, maintains a registry of trucking companies that agree to do background checks on employees, fence in their facilities, track their trucks and deal with vendors who are likewise certified.

In exchange for agreeing to these guidelines, reports the Associated Press, most of the trucks with these registered companies roll over the border in about 20 seconds, avoiding inspection delays.

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New Administration And Evolving Opinions Will Lead To Marijuana Reform

As cliche as the topic may be, there are serious changes happening in this country when it comes to marijuana and the law.

Approximately a month ago, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made it clear that the federal government would stop performing raids on legal medical marijuana dispensaries, a sharp reversal of current policy.

Just a few days ago, this country's first marijuana cafe opened in Portland, Ore.

The Cannabis Cafe, as it is called, is similar to the coffee shops of Amsterdam that so many people talk about and many American tourists frequent when they visit the city.

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Regarding Florence Gilkeson's thoughtful Nov. 13 column, while there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug.

If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps him or her feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life issue best left to patients and their doctors. Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention.

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This area is well known not only for the presence of military forces but also its widespread appreciation of military service.

While honoring service and sacrifice is part of the fabric of local life, however, Veterans Day activities often were overlooked in years past.

Part of the reason could be where the holiday falls on the calendar - between Marine Corps Birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving. It has only been in recent years that a genuine recognition of the day has taken a firmer hold on the public's conscience.

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Federal Agents And Local Police Drop In On Suspected Addicts And Encourage Them To Get Help.

Armed with the client lists of known heroin traffickers Thursday, federal agents and local police held a citywide drug intervention.

Teams of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police visited more than 30 homes and confronted 10 suspected heroin users.

The objective, said John Emerson, the DEA's assistant special agent in charge for North Carolina, was "to let them know we know who they are," to find out more about their suppliers, and to "offer them an alternative to using heroin by seeking treatment."

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The Obama administration has announced that federal agencies will no longer pursue criminal charges against people who use or supply medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

(Note: North Carolina is not among those 14 states.)

I have long wondered why marijuana cannot be legally used to relieve the pain and discomfort of cancer patients suffering debilitating nausea after chemotherapy. Why should marijuana be different from other prescription painkillers, many of which are dangerous and addictive and also subject to abuse?

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I read with interest George Will's column, "Dose of realism in a drug war" (Oct. 29), and hope the day is coming soon whereby science rules over ideology. It is past time we face our drug situation with facts and ideas that work for our people and not bureaucrats or ideologues.

Our legislative testimony process has been bastardized by well-meaning but money-hungry lobbying efforts by law enforcement, the prison industry and a drug-abuse industrial complex so hungry for our dollars that it often distorts truth and relies on gutter science providing cover for the mess we are in called a "drug war."

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Give me a break! We arrested two guys for marijuana brownies and marijuana butter and a few reefers (Oct. 31 news article). They are going to be charged with felonies and possibly go to jail, ruining their lives. Seems to me we could better spend our police time investigating rapes, murders, home invasions, hard drug dealers and drunk drivers who kill people. I don't fault the police. I think they are underpaid and under-appreciated, just as I think our military is underpaid and under-appreciated. God bless them all!

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BAYBORO -- The Pamlico County Board of Education will consider at a meeting tonight whether to hire an Ohio-based drug testing company to do the random drug testing of students who participate in extracurricular activities.

Superintendent James Coon said that the Pamlico County Health Department does not have the resources to continue testing the system's students, so the board will consider a contract with Sport Safe Testing Service Inc.

The company was selected by school staff from an initial list of six companies. Sport Safe's services are estimated to cost between $5,000 and $7,000, and Coon said that includes several services such as supplies, shipping the samples to a laboratory and calling parents. The board did not initially budget the expense, but he said there is money available for it, he said.

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From Pat McCrory, mayor of Charlotte:

Fourteen years ago when I first became mayor, Charlotte, like many large cities, was in the midst of a drug war stemming from the demand for crack cocaine and heroin. As a result of this drug trade and usage, Charlotte was plagued with a high crime rate, namely murders. Our murder total reached a high in 1993 at 129 murders. By 2004, with more police officers and more community-oriented resources, Charlotte's murder total reached a modern low of 60, even with a rising population.

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WASHINGTON -- During his immersion in his new job, Gil Kerlikowske attended a focus group of 7-year-old girls and was mystified by their talk about "farm parties." Then he realized they meant "pharm parties" - -- sampling pharmaceuticals from their parents' medicine cabinets. What he learned -- besides that young humans have less native sense than young dachshunds have -- is that his job has wrinkles unanticipated when he became director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"People," he says, "want a different conversation" about drug policies. With his first report to the president early next year, he could increase the quotient of realism.

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Some doctors prescribe medications like Zofran and Compazine to help their cancer patients deal with nausea. Others recommend alternative treatments like acupuncture. Now, physicians in some states can offer their patients marijuana without the fear of legal ramifications thanks to a new federal policy.

Last week, the Obama administration announced it would not prosecute users or suppliers of medical marijuana as long as they are in accordance with state laws, a policy that is already sparking some debate about its feasibility.

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In an act of merciful sanity, the Obama administration has made good on its promise to stop interfering with states that allow the medical use of marijuana. Clink-clink, hear-hear.

The announcement from Attorney General Eric Holder surely comes as a relief to many who rely on cannabis to ease suffering from various ailments. This new approach doesn't let drug traffickers off the hook. It merely means that 14 states that now provide for some medical marijuana uses no longer need fear federal raids.

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Drug-Fighting Councilman Once Advocated Legalization

ASHEVILLE -- Possibly the two most polarizing words in city politics are these: Carl Mumpower.

And that's something the two-term city councilman and former vice mayor says is OK.

Mumpower hasn't paused in going after everyone from progessives to business owners, so long as it accomplishes his purposes.

"I've alienated every special interest I can think of. I have no constituency," he said. "I'm even indifferent to my own political career."

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Why isn't marijuana legal? People who don't smoke still pay for it. How? You're paying taxes to keep it illegal for law enforcement people who are in jail on marijuana charges for their housing and their food.

People are getting their kids taken away because of weed, and kids are getting cancer from secondhand smoke from cigarettes. Innocent people get killed all the time from drunk drivers, but it is legal to drink.

If marijuana was legalized, it would create thousands of new jobs from plant stores, growers, coffee shops and transporting. Sure, marijuana has some bad effects, but nowhere near what cigarettes have.

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