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Patients deserve access to medicinal marijuana

Thursday, July 2, 2009

(Updated 3:00 am)

State Reps. Earl Jones and Pricey Harrison deserve praise for sponsoring a bill to legalize medicinal use of marijuana.
All patients deserve access to their medication without fear of prosecution, and the Medicinal Marijuana Act supports this universal belief. The House Health Committee in Raleigh reviewed this bill recently.

Some opponents say smoking marijuana is dangerous, but science concludes differently. Many medicines are inhaled as a vapor, such as asthma medications.

The medicinal components of marijuana are easily vaporized, eliminating the harmful effects of smoking.

Rep. Paul Stam fears the bill would make marijuana more accessible. However, this comprehensive bill is not going to divert medicinal marijuana to recreational users.

Indeed, how could marijuana become more accessible to high school students when four out of five of them now say marijuana is easy to obtain?

Medicines are already too expensive. It is outrageous to threaten patients with the cost of prosecution for using medications their doctors suggest.

We do not have to prosecute sick people to protect North Carolina’s children from illegal drug use.

Jessica Thompson
Reidsville

The writer is a research assistant at the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation.

What do you think?

16 comment(s)

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rahrah

July 2, 2009 - 3:27 am EDT

I'd say Mary Jane has aged out of her curfew and it's past time that Papa let her out of her room, whether her date's sick or not.

catfish

July 2, 2009 - 4:11 am EDT

Mega-dittos from the catfish Mr Rah-Rah!!! Ja RAH-stafari! Irie!
As a wise man once sang, back in the 1980s:

This is sensemilla, the healing of the nation!
In some places, doctors use it for herbal medication.
Ronald Reagan smoke it just before him go on television.
After Margaret Thatcher visit him, she bring some back to England
Then distribute it equally throughout the Houseof Commons.

zeus80

July 2, 2009 - 5:33 am EDT

And "Puff the Magic Dragon lives by the sea."

Lakeshia

July 2, 2009 - 6:15 am EDT

Leave everything as is - as soon as they legalize marijuna they will start taxing it and I will no longer be able to enjoy my Friday nite tax-free whacky weed -

danagain

July 2, 2009 - 6:59 am EDT

Where are all the sick people serving prison time from smoking dope?

Lakeshia, the city of Oakland, CA has already come up with the idea of taxing pot. Look for others to do likewise, especially in the liberal wonderland of CA, which by the way is absolutely broke.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_12093982

Panacea

July 2, 2009 - 8:55 am EDT

I worked in corrections, Dan. I saw sick people busted for pot all the time. AIDS patients mostly, a few cancer patients. It happens.

People shouldn't have to choose between their respect for the law, and easing their pain and suffering from terminal diseases. It's cruel.

danagain

July 2, 2009 - 4:29 pm EDT

Were the pot users serving jail time panacea? I thought possession of small amounts was mainly ignored or just a misdemeanor, only dealers got jail time. Am I wrong?

I have no problem with sick people smoking pot, hell I have no problem with anyone smoking pot with a few exceptions where public safety is involved, like airline pilots and nuclear power plant operators for example.

truth

July 2, 2009 - 9:33 am EDT

A cheer for rah-rah.

The law doesn't go far enough. Legalize it for everyone. Why is it illegal in the first place? Because it makes you feel good?

Makes no sense to me at all that alcohol is legal and pot is illegal.

People get drunk and go home and beat their wives. People overdose and die from alcohol. Alcohol destroys the liver and promotes heart disease when used in excess.

Never heard of anybody getting high and beating their wives, overdosing on pot, etc etc.

Think of the billions in dollars that could be saved by doing away with the prosecution of weed. A lot of drug dealers would be put out of business.

If you want to outlaw a plant, try poison ivy.

tledford

July 2, 2009 - 8:56 pm EDT

"Makes no sense to me at all that alcohol is legal and pot is illegal."

Without a doubt, as soon as some Republican CEO of some huge corporation figures out a foolproof way of making tons of money from legal MJ (much of which will be funneled to the Grayed Obscene Pissants), it'll suddenly become legal.

Ah thank ennywun who smokes marijoowana shood be skeeyunned ayund theyun burned ahLAHVE!!!!!!

Whew, writing dumb-ass is exhausting, time for that third glass of shiraz...

Oh, wait...

rbennet

July 3, 2009 - 5:42 am EDT

That looks like fun. I want to try.

"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story. A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."

tledford

July 3, 2009 - 8:00 am EDT

Governor Sanford, is that you? :-)

rbennet

July 3, 2009 - 2:03 pm EDT

We're going for dumb, right? That's the dumbest thing I've heard in a while.

rbennet

July 2, 2009 - 1:00 pm EDT

rahrah posted it before and I think he's right on:

Marijuana remains illegal because an instant/local technique of checking for varying levels of stoned-out-of-his-gourd hasn't been developed yet.

Did I get close, rahrah? A fine hypothesis regardless.

rahrah

July 2, 2009 - 10:23 pm EDT

that'll do.

wgraves4786

July 2, 2009 - 4:00 pm EDT

I must say, Id have to argree with this statement indeed.

Its time to "Free the tree of life"

And give access to those sick and ill

overtaxed

July 3, 2009 - 10:59 pm EDT

Think about it people. The only reason marijuana is illegal is because the Pharmaceutical manufacturer's wish it to be. They have the powerful lobbyists in D.C. paying off politicians so they can push real narcotics on the public.
Take a look at all the legal drugs your doc's provide and the nasty side-effects that they produce.
Remember this, "The big money is in the treatment not the cure".