cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Bill Debuts in Raleigh 





Medical Marijuana Bill Debuts in Raleigh 
Posted by FoM on June 03, 2001 at 16:11:29 PT
By Jason Sandford, Staff Writer
Source: Asheville Citizen-Times
A state lawmaker has introduced a bill to study the possibility of allowing patients to use, possess or grow marijuana with their doctors’ approval, a bill Asheville advocates of medical marijuana applauded.Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, said earlier this week that he submitted the bill because he doesn’t know enough about the medical use of marijuana to endorse it, but knows it should be studied.
"The question is whether people are willing to examine the issue as a pain reliever and not get caught up in the presuppositions with that particular substance," Luebke said."We see this as a step in the right direction," Jason Klein, a member of the Community of Compassion group in Asheville that supports the medicinal and industrial uses of marijuana."I think the people of this state, and of the world, should be allowed to use this medicine. It’s a legitimate medicine," Klein said.In Asheville, marijuana supporters have doggedly pushed their cause. In 1998, dozens of people filled Asheville City Council chambers and asked council to adopt a resolution requiring the Asheville Police Department to stop enforcing marijuana laws. Council took no action on the request, but various advocates continue to take their case to City Council.Community of Compassion co-founder Steve Rasmussen said Asheville has long held a reputation as a place where people come to get well, so the city "has always been a place where people trusted their own conscience rather than the dictates of someone up in Washington."The group will hold a rally to teach people about the medicinal and industrial uses of marijuana and hemp on May 5 at City-County Plaza in downtown Asheville, Rasmussen said.The bill likely faces an uphill battle, where state legislatures are often afraid to approve laws that fly in the face of federal drug laws. Still, several states have enacted similar measures through ballot initiatives. The Hawaii legislature enacted a medical marijuana law last June, while Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have also passed medical marijuana laws.The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C., group that works to decriminalize marijuana use, said North Carolina was on "the cutting edge of the medical marijuana issue" in 1979 when it put a law on the books that allowed physicians to administer marijuana-related products, said spokesman Chuck Thomas.But in 1987, the legislature rewrote the law to say physicians may only administer THC, the primary active ingredient in marijuana. The federal Food and Drug Administration approved THC as a prescription medicine in 1985, the group said. The pill doesn’t work as well as marijuana for many patients, according to Thomas."I think most state legislatures realize patients do need to use medical marijuana and they need to defer to doctors," Thomas said.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Source: Asheville Citizen-Times (NC)Author: Jason Sandford, Staff WriterPublished: June 3, 2001Copyright: 2001 Asheville Citizen-TimesContact: editor citizen-times.comWebsite: http://www.citizen-times.com/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Community of Compassionhttp://members.aol.com/herbmercy/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Surr on June 04, 2001 at 18:23:59 PT:
WE ARE TOO DUMB HERE TO HAVE THIS PASS
MM in N.C? it wont pass, way too many on the side of the gov here,they have no idea marijuana is as safe as it is...they still believe its the dreaded "Assassin of Youth" hell my boss said that about marijuana the other day...but this doesnt have to pass to help, just hearing about M.M in this kind of context hopefully may open their eyes and their minds just a tad and let some acual truth in...i seriously doubt it though...mark my words N.C will be the last state in America to legalize medical marijuana...jeez i hate N.C
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