NEW ERA FOR MARIJUANA?

CHAPEL HILL -- I have never used marijuana (Cannabis sativa), have no
personal interest in that activity and am too old to start something
like that now. When I was an adolescent in Iowa I did, once,
experiment with smoking corn silk, the slippery strands which grow out
of the tips of corncobs. That was an obnoxious experience. I have
never known any human being to try it twice.

In February of last year, the new U.S. attorney general, Eric Holder,
announced a change in policy on marijuana. The federal government
would treat it as a health issue in those states that have a provision
for its medical use. This is a sea change from prior years, when
federal officials applied criminal law to this behavior even when a
physician approved cannabis use to treat illness.

As of now, 13 states have laws that approve the use of cannabis to
treat human illness. The number is growing.

There are two primary reasons for using marijuana, medicinal and
recreational. The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved the
commercial product Marinol, which contains one of the active ingredients in
marijuana, as safe and effective to stimulate appetite and suppress nausea.
Recreational marijuana users also report pain relief and changes in mental
perception that could point to psychotherapeutic uses.

Last month the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy held a symposium
in Tucson, Ariz., on the subject "Legalization of Drugs: Is the Time Right
for Medical Marijuana?" The symposium was a measure of the attitude change
expressed by federal officials in the new administration. I am sure this
topic would not have been discussed two years ago.

I have heard advocates for cannabis use say that they do not object to
the imposition of a tax on marijuana, because that could add to the
product's legitimacy. Perhaps the combination of reducing public
expenses by not chasing after marijuana via costly law enforcement
measures and increasing revenue by imposing a tax on willing taxpayers
could be attractive to members of North Carolina's General Assembly in
a tough budget year. Pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and
development are key industries in this state. Much of the data
required by FDA in the new drug approval process comes from contract
research organizations located in North Carolina. Two of the leaders
in this field are PPD of Wilmington and Quintiles in Research Triangle
Park. Because of this and the fact that we're considered to be a
progressive state, we need to be cognizant of what is happening with
drug laws in other states.

I suggest that a study commission be formed to review the merits of
civilizing the status of Cannabis sativa in this state and to report
to the General Assembly during the long session in 2011.