Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jan 2014
Source: Douglas County Sentinel (GA)
Copyright: 2014 Douglas County Sentinel, Douglasvcille, GA.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/J7vysmDh
Website: http://www.douglascountysentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5444
Author: Ron Daniel

LEGISLATOR BACKING MEDICAL MARIJUANA FOR CHILDREN WITH SEIZURE DISORDERS

State Rep. Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville) is a self described
"conservative Christian Republican."

But Gravley now finds himself in line with other Republicans around
the state in supporting limited use of medicinal marijuana after
several families have come forward showing how a certain form of the
drug can be used to treat children with things like severe epileptic
seizures.

Gravley plans to co-sponsor a bill expected to be introduced in the
state House by Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) that would legalize cannabis
oil for medical purposes. The oil is typically administered in a pill
or using an eye dropper.

In the state Senate, Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) is sponsoring a bill
that would set up a medical marijuana study committee.

And Gravley said he thinks medical marijuana has a good chance of
getting through the Legislature.

"I think it's caught fire because we're seeing sick kids in Georgia
who are suffering," Gravley said. "If we can get the message out that
this is not recreational marijuana - kids are not going to be be
smoking pot. This is a medicinal oil form of cannabis."

Caden Clark, a 10-year-old who lives in the northern part of Gravley's
district in Paulding County, suffers from a severe seizure disorder.
Clark has been on 17 different drugs for his seizures and had part of
his brain removed in an effort to get relief from the seizures,
Gravley said.

Clark's parents have moved him to Colorado where medicinal marijuana
is legal. They recently reached out to Gravley asking for his support
to get the cannabis oil legalized in Georgia. As word has gotten out
about the Clarks' plight, Gravley said he's hearing about more
families dealing with similar issues in his district.

"I am not in support of any type of recreational use," said Gravley.
"This needs to be highly regulated and it needs to be very specific
that we are trying to help these kids who are suffering from severe
medical conditions."

The cannabis oil Gravley is in favor of legalizing is low in
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the component of marijuana most
people associate with getting stoned. It's also high in cannabidiol
(CBD), the part of marijuana that has shown to be useful in treating
seizures.

Bremen resident Lance Dyer, director of the Dakota Dyer Foundation,
has become one of the country's foremost advocates against so-called
synthetic marijuana, which killed his son two years ago. He's also
vehemently against legalizing traditional marijuana, but he said he'll
support Gravley's efforts to legalize cannabis oil with conditions.

"If this high strain of marijuana, this CBD, can help young people
manage and control their seizures and it can be handled and presented
in a way that allows our doctors and pharmacists and judges to be the
gatekeepers, then yes I support it," Dyer said. "I hope I'm not wrong.

District 30 Sen. Mike Dugan (R-Carrollton) said he doesn't support
legalizing marijuana for recreational use or for any medical use "that
is smoked." But he said he's open to looking at other medicinal uses.

"I do support looking further into what could be best described as an
oil based medicine derived from a cannabis plant that has been
prescribed by a physician," Dugan said. "I understand that there have
been some positive results, especially with children suffering from
seizures, and we'd be remiss not to study this further."

Rep. John Pezold (R-Fortson) sits just behind Gravley at the state
House and the two share the same solid conservative values. He watched
a video Gravley showed him that moved him enough to get him on board.
A mother in the video who has a child with a severe seizure disorder
talks about how her son benefited from the cannabis oil.

"She said my son is 6 years old and for the first time in my life I'm
meeting my son because she never really had a chance to experience his
personality because he was so affected by these seizures," said Pezold.

Pezold said the bill will be very narrowly written so that only those
who can benefit from the cannabis oil are able to get it. He said he's
spoken to Peake and offered to help with the bill any way he can.

"If I can put my name on it I'd be delighted to, I'd be honored to,"
Pezold said. "Because this is something that - look if we can remove
some barriers to help people get the care that they need, especially
an innocent child, why wouldn't we take a look at this?" 
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