RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly’s chief advocate for legalizing medical marijuana in the state revealed publicly on Tuesday how he smoked pot over 20 years ago to withstand discomforts of chemotherapy during a fight with cancer.
Republican Sen. Bill Rabon of Brunswick County has been working for years on a measure that lays out a structure for patients with serious and terminal illnesses to lawfully obtain cannabis and smoke or consume it. Legislative opponents of the idea — fewer than in previous years but still a significant bloc — argue that marijuana can lead to medical harm, only masks symptoms and would lead to making recreational use lawful.
Rabon had described himself as a colon cancer survivor, but had been reticent on many details, particularly whether he had used marijuana, until pitching his bill in the House Health Committee three months after it passed the full Senate. The veterinarian recalled taking a few puffs at home after days of tremendous nausea at work to get through to the next day.
“I’ve told it many, many times privately, and I have no shame in saying, you know, ‘this is what you will do in order to stay alive,’” Rabon told reporters after the meeting by the committee, which didn’t vote on the measure Tuesday.
The bill would allow physicians to certify in writing that the health benefits of using marijuana by a patient outweighs the risks. Patients with over a dozen conditions…
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