Thank you for the informative article (“Pittsboro hemp dispensary owner has reservations about medical marijuana bill”) in the February 3-9 News + Record concerning hemp and the N. C. Compassionate Care Act, which among other things would make the use of marijuana as medicine legal in North Carolina. While there is mounting evidence that marijuana is effective in treating some physical conditions, the step toward legalization should be taken deliberately, as with any other prescription medication proposed for general use.
Chatham Drug Free, Chatham County’s alcohol, tobacco and other drugs prevention coalition, and its predecessor, Chatham Community for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, have worked for the past 17 years teaching Chatham County youth and their parents about the dangers of both legal and illicit drugs. Recently, the Coalition’s efforts have been dedicated to problems associated with prescription medication and especially opioids, many of which are legally prescribed medications but have caused much physical, mental and emotional pain in our community.
There is clear evidence across multiple studies that a youth’s perception as to the harmfulness of a drug directly affects that youth’s intention to use and eventually use that drug. Simply put, if a youth doesn’t think the drug is harmful, he/she/they are more likely to use that drug.
If the N. C. Compassionate Care Act was to pass, it is our hope that it include strict prescribing guidelines and a robust educational component targeting youth, reinforcing the messaging that, like all prescription medications, being legal does not mean it’s safe.
George Greger-Holt
Pittsboro