LEGALIZE IT

A few weeks ago, my fellow columnist Sam Daughtry wrote a piece,"Medical
Marijuana: a personal decision," describing some of the issues surrounding
medical marijuana use. While it is still illegal under federal law, 14
states have passed legislation legalizing medicinal marijuana, and North
Carolina may be set to be the next.

There are currently bills in the N.C. House of Representatives, House
Bill 1380 and 1383, introduced in the House by Rep. Earl Jones
(D-Guilford), which would legalize medicinal use of the herb, license
farming of it and tax it as a source of revenue. WRAL reported March
5, that "supporters say legalizing marijuana for health-related
reasons would generate more than $60 million in state taxes in the
first year alone." The bill passed a vote last year and is now waiting
in the Health Committee; state lawmakers could be voting on the bill
this spring.

While many in North Carolina favor its legalization, some argue that this
will lead to its increased use in society. I would counter this argument by
pointing out that some studies actually counter this claim. A 2008 article
in Time magazine, "An American Pastime: Smoking Pot," said "a survey
published . in PLoS Medicine, a journal of the Public Library of Science,
suggests that . despite tougher drug polices in the U.S., Americans [are]
twice as likely to have tried marijuana than the Dutch," whose laws
regarding marijuana consumption are far more liberal than those of the U.S.

Currently, anyone who uses marijuana in North Carolina is obtaining it
through the black market, which can lead to it being exorbitantly
overpriced and of potentially dubious quality. Legalizing its
medicinal use would control traffic and regulate its quality. Also,
providing a safe, licensed source would allow those considering its
medicinal benefits to avoid association with the more criminal
elements of society.

Opponents of the bill also claim people will abuse medicinal
marijuana's status as a prescription drug. However, if this argument
were to be seen through to its final conclusion, then nearly all
prescription sedatives and pain medications would have to be banned
from medicinal use as well. There are many people who already fake
symptoms to procure these legally prescribed medications. It is up to
the prescribing physician to determine whether or not a patient is
faking symptoms to get drugs.

Many of these existing medications are far more dangerous and
potentially addictive than marijuana, including drugs derived from
opiates as well as antidepressants, etc. These drugs are responsible
for thousands of deaths in America every year; yet since its use began
more than 50,000 years ago, marijuana has not been directly attributed
to a single death worldwide. Even drugs like aspirin and caffeine
cause the deaths of thousands of Americans, let alone alcohol and
tobacco -- which are both legal for recreational use, as well as being
extremely dangerous.

Surveys and studies have indicated that marijuana is effective in
treating ailments such as multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and anorexia,
among others. It has also been used to treat cancer patients going
through chemotherapy. Considering the array of substances that are
legally available for medicinal use and are far more dangerous, there
seems to be no sufficient argument for outlawing the use of marijuana
as an alternative treatment.

Support for its legalization for medicinal use is growing in North
Carolina. A march on the capitol building in Raleigh is scheduled for
noon, May 1. Information about the march can be found on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=108084525883384&ref=mf.

I propose that those of you who are state residents and are in favor
of this bill write your local state house representative and let them
know your thoughts. A list of house representatives can be found at
this address:
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House.

For general information about the bill, there are several Facebook
groups about it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74395252962
&ref=mf.