This past Monday, Gov. Deal passed a bill that allows Georgians to possess medical marijuana to treat PTSD — but the bill is meaningless, and Deal knows it. The bill is completely ineffective unless in-state medical marijuana cultivation and distribution is legalized. Until then, Georgians have no way to legally receive the treatment they’ve supposedly… [Read More]
Ga. conservatives continue to stall medical marijuana
Don’t be fooled — conservative politicians don’t want legal medical marijuana in Georgia. Their calls for Congress to “get off their duffs” and reclassify marijuana are completely disingenuous. As further proof of their unwillingness to join the 29 U.S. states and D.C. that have legalized medical marijuana, a new proposed bill that would add chronic pain… [Read More]
Bills to watch in Georgia: Gun control, anti-LGBT adoption and more
Last week in the Georgia Legislature marked the passage of Crossover Day, the final day for bills to pass out of the chamber in which they were introduced. The bills that don’t pass from senate to house or house to senate are considered dead. Here’s a rundown of the bills that made it through that… [Read More]
Gov. Deal, supported by big pharma, commits to blocking medical marijuana expansion
Gov. Nathan Deal is continuing his pattern of blockading medical marijuana expansion legislation that would help thousands of Georgians. In a recent interview, Deal said he would oppose an effort to legalize the in-state cultivation of medical marijuana this year. This comes after a recent poll from the AJC that revealed an incredible 77 percent… [Read More]
Georgians want increased access to medical marijuana
Georgians want increased access to medical marijuana. A new AJC poll shows that more Georgians than ever, 77 percent to be exact, support changing state laws to allow harvesting and distribution of medical marijuana. Under a 2015 law, licensed patients can possess up 20 ounces of cannabis oil to treat certain forms of 14 approved… [Read More]
Blame big pharma for regressive medical marijuana policies
Although it’s been proven to alleviate symptoms of serious medical conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis, migraine, and cancer, and is legal for medical use in 28 states, medical marijuana still faces huge hurdles in Georgia. State officials cite its “Schedule One” classification by the federal government as Georgia’s reason for neglecting it’s proven medicinal properties…. [Read More]
New medical marijuana bills face opposition, fall short of legalization
In the 2016 election, medical marijuana legalization gained traction across the country. This past Thursday, Georgia lawmakers in both the Senate and House made their own attempt to catch up by filing bills that would improve access to medical marijuana if passed. Republican Rep. Allen Peake wants to put a constitutional amendment in front of voters… [Read More]
Marijuana’s long, slow crawl to reform in Georgia
Lost among the aftermath of this year’s election are the significant marijuana policy victories in Arkansas, North Dakota, Montana and Florida. These states took big steps to ensure their citizens have quality access to the medicinal marijuana. As we see a positive shift in opinion across the nation, some here are wondering why Georgia hasn’t joined… [Read More]
FDA decision leaves medical marijuana roadblocks in Georgia
Although Federal officials said they would expand marijuana growth and research through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as well as conduct more research into marijuana’s medicinal properties, the fact remains that marijuana still banned. According to the DEA, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug, in the same class as heroin and LSD. Drugs that… [Read More]
Georgia city to decriminalize marijuana? It’s more likely than you think.
Clarkston is poised to become the first Georgia city to decriminalize marijuana. Georgia has received a lot of praise, including from President Barack Obama, for its criminal justice reform, yet Gov. Nathan Deal continues to resist changes to marijuana laws. “We should not have any municipality or jurisdiction of state government saying that they’re willing to… [Read More]