NC House committee rebuffs medical pot proponents

NC House committee rebuffs medical pot proponents


The Associated Press • June 19, 2009 12:15 AM


RALEIGH — People who say they smoke marijuana to relieve chronic pain asked House members Thursday to legalize its possession and cultivation for medicinal use, but a bill discussed in committee isn't likely to be considered again this year.

"There's just not enough support," said Rep. Bob England, D-Rutherford, co-chairman of the House Health Committee that took testimony but didn't vote on the medical marijuana bill.

The proposal debated by the committee would exempt from state prosecution patients or caregivers who possess a small amount of marijuana or producers of the drug, which supporters say relieves their suffering.

Bill proponents cite studies that find smoking marijuana can ease the pain and nausea associated with chemotherapy and other chronic conditions and improve the appetite for sickly patients better than other pharmaceuticals with fewer side effects.

Jones' bill would limit use to patients who are diagnosed by a doctor with a "debilitating medical condition" or possession by a caregiver and would receive a two-month maximum supply.

Jones said the state could generate $60 million annually by requiring initial $1,000 fees for producers and $2,000 for those who dispense the drug, and by levying a 10 percent tax on gross revenues for both groups.

Some committee members were skeptical, suggesting other traditional prescription drugs could bring the same pain relief and arguing that marijuana — the most frequently used illegal substance in the United States — is a dangerous drug.