NEW FEDERAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA POLICY SPARKS ETHICAL DEBATE

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.

Mark Edwards, a Durham, N.C., lawyer and lifetime member of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he
supports the policy change.

"Marijuana prosecution has always seemed to me to be an incredible
waste of time," Edwards said. "We need to prioritize."

When the policy was announced, the Obama administration emphasized it
is not ignoring all aspects of marijuana use, such as underground
growth operations, but it does not feel punishing patients and their
caregivers is the best use of prosecutors' time.

Marijuana can relieve pain and nausea and increase appetite in cancer
patients and people with other serious illnesses.

Fourteen states allow medical marijuana, but North Carolina isn't one
of them. Edwards lost his father to lung cancer a few years ago, and
said he wishes medical marijuana had been an option for him.

"He was in a lot of pain. He was having to take pain meds and he lost
his appetite and he was nauseous quite a bit because of the meds,"
Edwards said. "I think if he had an option to use marijuana, it may
have helped alleviate his pain and at the same time allowed him to
eat food and keep his body nourished."

Lauren Martin, Elon's coordinator of substance education, said while
allowing the use of medical marijuana has its benefits, the policy
also presents some challenges.

Martin said she personally knows someone in California, the first
state to allow medical marijuana use, who easily obtained a
prescription for marijuana when he didn't need it.

"I think the challenge will be keeping it at a medical use and keeping
people who just want to abuse it out of the system," Martin said.

The new policy has many people wondering what other reforms to
marijuana laws may follow. Martin said the next phase marijuana
advocates will likely call for is the decriminalization of the drug.
But first, she said other states will probably toy with the idea of
allowing medical marijuana use, though she doesn't know when or if
North Carolina will consider it.

"North Carolina, until this election year, has been a traditionally
conservative state, and that typically means it's pretty hard on drug
users and drug laws," Martin said.

Edwards said he thinks the drug is far less dangerous than alcohol and
tobacco, and its use, particularly for medical purposes, is something
North Carolina should allow.

"I think it's in some ways a 'moral' issue that people have a tough
time getting over," Edwards said. "They just don't like the fact that
people use any kind of drugs, even if it's not just for recreational
use, but for medicinal purposes."

Martin said she thinks more research needs to be conducted about
marijuana before any other laws are changed.

Because it is an illegal drug, it has been challenging for researchers
to conduct studies about marijuana.

Though she emphasized the drug's benefits for cancer patients, Martin
said issues like illegal operations using medical marijuana as a front
and the health risks associated with long-term smoke inhalation of any
kind need to be addressed.

"I don't think this is as black-and-white as people want it to be,"
Martin said. "It's just a very complex topic."