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Elections

Gov. Deal signs ineffective medical marijuana bill

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 been granted. Lawmakers didn’t pass a bill that would have legalized harvesting and distribution of cannabis oil. As the AJC

Healthcare

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 and PTSD to illnesses covered by medical marijuana passed the House a month ago, but hasn’t received a Senate hearing.

2018 Legislative Session

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 we’re keeping a close eye on — the good, the bad and the “needs improvement.” We’re keeping a close eye

Government Accountability

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 of Georgians support the cultivation of medical marijuana in our state. While Deal drags his feet on medical marijuana legislation,

2018 Legislative Session

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 illnesses, including AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. More than 2,500 patients are currently on the registry. But

Medical Marijuana

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. However, considering the way Georgia government works, the reasons might be more about money. In 2014, when Gov. Deal refused