CB
05-30-2008, 09:51 AM
By CARON MYERS
FOX8 News
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) --- Medical marijuana could become a reality in North Carolina if a Piedmont lawmaker gets his way.
Rep. Earl Jones (D) from the 60th district of North Carolina has sponsored a bill that would spend state money to study the public benefits of marijuana for medical reasons.
"There's already a precedent set in 12 states that have passed this legislation," said Jones, who serves as chairman for the House Sciences and Technology Committee.
Jones said he's received excellent feedback from the public and from fellow lawmakers.
"Some of them didn't want to sign on to the bill, but have indicated to me privately they think it's a good bill, long overdue and at least they think it should be examined," Jones added.
Dr. Steve Childers, a Wake Forest University pharmacology professor has spent two years researching the subject. He recently published a study for Congress on medical marijuana.
"The final outcome was that there was no doubt that marijuana could be useful for a variety of purposes," said Childers. The benefits include treating nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy treatment and increasing appetites among AIDS patients dying from malnutrition.
"The main medical question that came out of that study was not so much whether marijuana works in these diseases, but whether marijuana is better than some of the drugs that are currently prescribed for those conditions," said Childers, who admitted that is a much more difficult question to answer.
"I think once the information is out there and lawmakers and the citizens have accurate information, I'm confident that the law will be passed in some future session, within a year, probably," said Rep. Jones.
Currently, there are 12 states where marijuana for medical purposes is legal:
* Alaska
* California
* Colorado
* Hawaii
* Montana
* Nevada
* New Mexico
* Oregon
* Rhode Island
* Vermont
* Washington
The North Carolina Family Policy Council opposes the proposed legislation.
FOX8 News
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) --- Medical marijuana could become a reality in North Carolina if a Piedmont lawmaker gets his way.
Rep. Earl Jones (D) from the 60th district of North Carolina has sponsored a bill that would spend state money to study the public benefits of marijuana for medical reasons.
"There's already a precedent set in 12 states that have passed this legislation," said Jones, who serves as chairman for the House Sciences and Technology Committee.
Jones said he's received excellent feedback from the public and from fellow lawmakers.
"Some of them didn't want to sign on to the bill, but have indicated to me privately they think it's a good bill, long overdue and at least they think it should be examined," Jones added.
Dr. Steve Childers, a Wake Forest University pharmacology professor has spent two years researching the subject. He recently published a study for Congress on medical marijuana.
"The final outcome was that there was no doubt that marijuana could be useful for a variety of purposes," said Childers. The benefits include treating nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy treatment and increasing appetites among AIDS patients dying from malnutrition.
"The main medical question that came out of that study was not so much whether marijuana works in these diseases, but whether marijuana is better than some of the drugs that are currently prescribed for those conditions," said Childers, who admitted that is a much more difficult question to answer.
"I think once the information is out there and lawmakers and the citizens have accurate information, I'm confident that the law will be passed in some future session, within a year, probably," said Rep. Jones.
Currently, there are 12 states where marijuana for medical purposes is legal:
* Alaska
* California
* Colorado
* Hawaii
* Montana
* Nevada
* New Mexico
* Oregon
* Rhode Island
* Vermont
* Washington
The North Carolina Family Policy Council opposes the proposed legislation.