Medical Cannabis Bill Revealed in Georgia
By Alizeh Siddiqui, Marijuana Policy Project
AUGUSTA, GA
— Georgia state lawmakers revealed what the state’s new medical marijuana bill will look like after last year’s proposed bill failed.
Medical marijuana grow houses and immunity from prosecution for the families of patients who legally obtain it from other states and bring it back to Georgia are two elements of the new medical marijuana bill that state lawmakers will debate in January.
State Rep. Allen Peake, the bill sponsor, said that Georgia’s lawmakers have learned a lot over the past year and hope to pass a better bill this year that would allow private entities to grow medical marijuana in the state.
Peake also said that the medical marijuana grown in Georgia would contain very low THC so that patients would not be able to get high from it.
“If what we’re going to do is legalize a product that is so low in THC that there’s no way to get high off of it, why not provide it as an alternative for other diagnoses — cancer, glaucoma, ALS?” Peake stated.
However, low or no THC medical marijuana laws leave most patients behind. While THC does cause the “high” associated with the substance, patients use medical marijuana for relief, not for euphoria. It has also been shown to have many medical qualities itself.
Georgia’s medical marijuana legislation should not be so restrictive as to leave behind patients who could benefit from access to a variety of medical marijuana strains with different chemical compositions.
Last year’s bill, House Bill 885, received approval in a landslide vote of 171-4 in the Georgia House of Representatives and unanimous support in the Senate. Unfortunately the bill, also known as “Haleigh’s Hope Act,” failed at the last hour due to a political standoff between the two chambers.
mark
I have bad back injury I it wood be much better the the hard drug that they have me on so make it leg. for everyone free the plant for poepes to grow at home at ..take all the laws off the books in ga. the people want it ,,,put it to a vote for the people of ga.. make it free now stop the b.s. we are of age and it are right
Storm
what’s the point in even considering the bill? what’s the point? it’s higher concentration of thc content that helps with medical problems. we know that many of the lawmakers have participated in smoking to get high.
John Thomas
>>>”Medical marijuana grow houses and immunity from prosecution for the families of patients who legally obtain it from other states and bring it back to Georgia are two elements of the new medical marijuana bill”
Does that mean all people from other states with medical marijuana authorizations would be free from prosecution? It doesn’t seem like Georgia would be able to discriminate between Georgia residents and non-residents (visitors) with this kind of a law.
fabian
decriminalize the nations capital did we are not the divided states were the untied states stop the b.s in the south!!!!!!!!
Dana M. Arvidson
The problem with CBD only legislation is that it does not help more than 7% of patients. Most patients need whole cannabis therapies. Out of 100 children with Epilepsy only 7 will find substantial relief. If we are going to do this right, with logic and true compassion, and in the interest of helping the most patients possible, we MUST have whole plant therapies available to all.
J. Brantley
So I guess that leaves all the veterans with PTSD (like myself) out in the cold. I would much rather smoke pot than takepills. Let’s not forget the fact that there have been 0 deaths from Marijuana overdoses throughout recorded history. Put it to a vote, Legalize it, tax it, and give the people what they want.
Besides, like GA couldn’t use an extra couple MILLIONS IN TAXES ANYWAY.