N.C. House Panel Considers Medical Marijuana Bill
Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press Writer
June 18, 2009
Associated Press
People who say they smoke marijuana to relieve chronic pain asked House members Thursday to legalize its possession and cultivation for medicinal use, but a bill discussed in committee isn't likely to be considered again this year.
"There's just not enough support," said Rep. Bob England, D-Rutherford, co-chairman of the House Health Committee that took testimony but didn't vote on the medical marijuana bill.
The proposal debated by the committee would exempt from state prosecution patients or caregivers who possess a small amount of marijuana or producers of the drug, which supporters say relieves their suffering.
"I no longer suffer from any pain," said Perry Parks, 66, of Rockingham, a former North Carolina National Guard soldier who once out of the service started smoking marijuana to help with a degenerative disk disease. "Now I find myself a criminal in this state."
Thirteen states - but none in the Southeast - have laws designed to allow patients to use marijuana to treat illness without threat of state punishment, despite federal law still barring its possession, according to the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project.
The same committee took testimony last year on a bill that would have studied the issue.
Bill proponents cite studies that find smoking marijuana can ease the pain and nausea associated with chemotherapy and other chronic conditions and improve the appetite for sickly patients better than other pharmaceuticals with less side effects.
"It enhances the quality of life of people who are sick, it prolongs life," said Rep. Earl Jones, D-Guilford, a primary sponsor of the bill.
Jones' bill would limit use to patients who are diagnosed by a doctor with a "debilitating medical condition" or possession by a caregiver and would receive a two-month maximum supply.
Jones said the state could generate $60 million annually by requiring initial $1,000 fees for producers and $2,000 for those who dispense the drug, and by levying a 10 percent tax on gross revenues for both groups. Patients also would have to pay $10 for identification cards.
Some committee members were skeptical, suggesting other traditional prescription drugs could bring the same pain relief and arguing that marijuana - the most frequently used illegal substance in the United States - is a dangerous drug.
"There can be an addiction to marijuana and it greatly affects family life," said Rep. Winkie Wilkins, D-Person. "I would say that it would certainly be a side effect that we should consider."
The Rev. Mark Creech of the Christian Action League of North Carolina said after the meeting legalizing marijuana would create unintended consequences. For example, he said, a divorced parent may have no way of knowing a child was subject to marijuana smoke from the other parent because the qualifying application would be confidential.
Jones said he would try to persuade committee members to vote on the bill. Getting a hearing on the legislation, however, was a step forward for supporters who laud its medicinal uses.
"All I ask is that you give us some dignity," said nurse Janet Osburn, 43, of Clayton, who told the committee she was in constant pain from spine and muscular disease that's been eased since using marijuana 13 years ago.
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