Medical marijuana gets GOP champions | Editorials
3 min read
For more than a decade, North Carolina’s Democratic lawmakers have promoted one form or another of medical marijuana bill designed to safely allow the use of cannabis to relieve some kind of pain under tightly controlled conditions. They inevitably weren’t going anywhere.
But now that conservative, rocky Republicans are campaigning for medical marijuana law, success seems more likely.
It is reminiscent of the political metaphor: only Nixon could go to China.
The NC Compassionate Care Act is actually a bipartisan bill: its primary sponsors are Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, Chairman of the Rules and Operations Committee; Senator Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth; and Senator Michael Lee, R-New Hanover. There is broad support for this throughout the legislative period.
There is also strong public support; A poll by Elon University published in February found that 73% of North Carolinians support the medicinal use of marijuana. That includes 64 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of Democrats, Richard Craver of the Winston-Salem Journal reported earlier this week.
The bill states: “Modern medical research has shown that cannabis and cannabinoid compounds are effective in reducing pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with several debilitating diseases.”
These conditions include nausea, caused by cancer treatment that Rabon, a Southport veterinarian and cancer survivor, likely experienced himself. During a public hearing in June, he said that if there is something the state can do to help people ease the pain caused by cancer and other serious medical problems, he is for it.
Senator Kathy Harrington, R-Gaston, also spoke out in favor of the law, citing her husband, who was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. “If you’d asked me six months ago if I would support this law, I would have said no,” Harrington told The Charlotte Observer. “But life is coming your way quickly.”
And there is a strong contingency among Democrats and Republicans who support medical marijuana as a treatment for PTSD among veterans. Several veterans have touted the superiority of marijuana – more effective, fewer side effects – over the drugs often prescribed by Veterans Affairs.
It is difficult to argue against this.
But some of course do. These include two Christian conservative groups, the NC Values Coalition and the Christian Action League.
Rev. Mark Creech, who heads the Christian Action League, said he believes medical marijuana supports “purely anecdotal evidence at best,” and that it is a slippery road to full legalization.
But “purely anecdotal” includes the experiences of countless veterans.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein has also raised concerns that the law could open the door to recreational marijuana.
All the years after the public first became aware of marijuana, it has still fueled controversy. Some will insist that it act as a gateway to more harmful drugs. Others relate to the level of normalization of marijuana, which is consumed by 13% or 24% of American adults, depending on the survey, while still maintaining jobs and raising families.
But one doesn’t have to be a recreational marijuana advocate to understand that using it under controlled medical supervision would be preferable to self-medication. If it can be safely used to relieve pain and suffering, especially in our veterans, then it should be.
The bill must get the approval of several Republican-led committees before it reaches the entire Senate. With the support it now receives from people who have been most resilient, when it gets to this point it deserves to pass.
Today’s editorial is from The Greensboro News & Record. The views expressed do not necessarily correspond to those of this newspaper.
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