WAR HERO'S BATTLE: LEGALIZING THE MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA

Perry Parks Says His Push for a New Law Is About Helping Ease Pain Of
N.C. Veterans.

RALEIGH Perry Parks, a 68-year-old former Vietnam helicopter pilot, is
relentless in his campaign to convince the N.C. legislature to
legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

He doesn't just walk the halls of the legislature, often attired in
his old National Guard uniform. To publicize his cause, he agreed to
be photographed smoking a bong - a picture seen on national television
and in newspapers as far as way as Japan.

"I call it the hit heard around the world," Parks quips. Parks has a
habit of turning up at the side of notable political leaders, whether
it be Gov. Bev Perdue, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, N.C. House Speaker Thom
Tillis or President Barack Obama.

He has twice convinced the N.C. Democratic Party's executive committee
to pass a resolution supporting legalizing marijuana for medical
reasons, although party leaders seem skittish about the issue.

But it will be far harder to convince the legislature to do so. A bill
legalizing medical marijuana did not get very far last session when
the Democrats were in control. The measure, sponsored by state Rep.
Kelly Alexander, a Charlotte Democrat, likely faces an even more
difficult road now that Republicans are in power.

But that has not deterred Parks, who believes that if he just has a
chance to sit down and explain his position, people will come around
to his point of view.

He is doing this, Parks says, for his fellow veterans, many of whom
are dealing with chronic pain, and have found that marijuana provides
relief.

"I have veterans that call me every day who are being arrested or
being kicked out of VA clinics because we don't have a state law,"
Parks says.

Inhaling marijuana provides Parks with relief from his pain from
severe degenerative disc disorder and arthritis.

But while veterans are his primary motivation, the bill that has been
introduced would make medical marijuana available to anyone who meets
the medical guidelines. In December, Parks was elected president of
the N.C. Cannabis Patients Network, a group that counts 1,000 members.

Second attempt

This is the second session that a bill legalizing marijuana for
medical purposes - but not legalizing it generally - has been
introduced in the state legislature. Last session, the bill got a
hearing in the House Health Committee, but this time it has not gotten
that far, and is stuck in the House Rules Committee, a burial ground
for bills.

Rep. Stephen LaRoque of Kinston, co-chairman of the Rules Committee,
said he would hold a hearing if the N.C. Medical Society expressed an
interest in it. But the group, which represents doctors, has not
endorsed the bill.

Alexander said much of the political and medical establishment is wary
of endorsing the legislation, although privately many will say they
know people who have been helped by the medical use of marijuana.

"Everyone in the world of officials is afraid of it," Alexander said.
"That is why open discussion and open dialogue is important.

"Some people have what I call a Cheech and Chong view of the issue,"
Alexander said. "Frankly, if you look at it through that lens it makes
it more difficult to take it seriously and makes it more difficult to
listen to the evidence out there about its medical efficacy."

Alexander said there are 20 ailments on which medical marijuana has
been proven to have some positive effect, including helping those
undergoing chemotherapy treatment. And he cited a recent article
published by the National Institute of Health that suggested that
cannabis can play some role in slowing the growth of cancer tumors.

The bill would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for a number of
prescribed ailments and conditions such as cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's,
diabetes, Crohn's disease, hypertension, severe nausea and epilepsy.
The state Department of Agriculture would oversee a licensing system
for growing marijuana.

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana to be used
for medical purposes. But no state in the more socially conservative
South allows it.

Parks says he gets it. He is career military, a resident of small-town
North Carolina, and a Christian. "This stuff totally removed my pain,"
Parks says of the marijuana. "I couldn't believe it. I prayed about
it. My preacher told me I was still wrong."

Parks spent 28 years in the military, as a chief warrant officer 4,
flying helicopters in Vietnam and later with the National Guard.

During his 30 months in Vietnam, Parks said he earned the
Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars and was awarded the Air
Medal 31 times.

He went through a difficult period after Vietnam with drugs, but got
his life back together, married and raised a family, eventually
settling in Rockingham. He became a corporate pilot for Murphy Farms
and worked as a pilot examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Earlier this session, he crashed a news conference held by former
Gov. Jim Hunt on the subject of saving Smart Start, the early
childhood advocacy program. As puzzled reporters looked on, Parks
said legalizing medical marijuana would help bring extra revenue to
the state to help save programs like Smart Start.

Parks says he is driven by the stories of his fellow vets, who are
facing discrimination as they seek relief from their pain.

"I'm just persistent because it's such a disgrace that it's
considered criminal in this state," Parks said, "and in other states
everything is fine."