Atlanta (AP) - While an effort to bring a form of medical marijuana to Georgia garnered bipartisan support during the most recent legislative session, hurdles remain as lawmakers prepare to make another attempt at passing the legislation next year. A bill is being drafted after a series of committee hearings and included testimony from leaders within the law enforcement and medical communities who raised concerns about the use of medical cannabis even under narrow circumstances. Meanwhile, progress is being made in terms of bringing clinical trials to Georgia, but advocates warn that will not be enough to help all those who see the drug as their best hope to manage debilitating conditions. [continues 264 words]
ATLANTA - Tanya Smith, a Georgia police officer who oversees criminal investigations, is no stranger to battling the perils of drug abuse. Yet Smith's current fight is personal, in memory of her 20-year-old daughter, Taylor, who died last year while using drugs after no one called 911 for help. Smith is among a group of parents lobbying on behalf of a bill that would grant amnesty from certain drug charges for those who seek help in the event of a drug overdose. Seventeen states have passed similar so-called "Good Samaritan laws," and proposals are pending this year in others including Georgia and West Virginia. [continues 596 words]
ATLANTA - A bill to allow a type of medical marijuana in Georgia under certain circumstances passed a key committee vote Wednesday, keeping it alive as a major legislative deadline looms. Sponsored by Republican Rep. Allen Peake of Macon, House Bill 885 would revive a long-dormant research program allowing academic institutions to distribute marijuana to patients suffering from specific medical conditions. The House Health and Human Services Committee passed the bill by a voice vote during Wednesday's meeting, prompting hugs and tears from families in the audience whose children suffer from medical conditions that can cause multiple daily seizures. The families believe, based on anecdotal evidence seen elsewhere, that a form of cannabis oil could reduce the seizures and improve their children's quality of life and have been lobbying lawmakers to support the effort. [continues 524 words]
ATLANTA (AP) - A bill to allow a type of medical marijuana in Georgia under certain circumstances passed a key committee vote Wednesday, keeping it alive as a major legislative deadline looms. Sponsored by Republican Rep. Allen Peake, of Macon, House Bill 885 would revive a long-dormant research program allowing academic institutions to distribute marijuana to patients suffering from specific medical conditions. The House Health and Human Services Committee passed the bill by a voice vote during Wednesday's meeting, prompting hugs and tears from families in the audience whose children suffer from medical conditions that can cause multiple daily seizures. The families believe, based on anecdotal evidence seen elsewhere, that a form of cannabis oil could reduce the seizures and improve their children's quality of life and have been lobbying lawmakers to support the effort. [continues 401 words]
Lawmakers Throw Weight Behind Bills to Allow Cannabis Oil. Atlanta (AP) - Medical marijuana has been a non-starter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. This year, powerful GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for the limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 459 words]
ATLANTA (AP) - Medical marijuana has been a nonstarter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this year powerful Republican lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for the limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 492 words]
In the South, Support Grows for Legalizing a Derivative of Pot to Treat Sick Children ATLANTA (AP) - Medical marijuana has been a nonstarter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this year powerful GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 645 words]
Views on Marijuana Are Changing in Southern States ATLANTA - Medical marijuana has been a non-starter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this year powerful GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for the limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 568 words]
ATLANTA (AP) - Medical marijuana has been a non-starter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this year powerful GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for the limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 389 words]
Medical marijuana has been a non-starter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this year powerful GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for the limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 1100 words]
ATLANTA (AP) - An effort to bring medical marijuana to Georgia under certain circumstances gained momentum Tuesday, as more than 80 lawmakers signed on to sponsor a bill introduced by a member of the Republican House leadership. In introducing the bill, Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, was joined by parents of children suffering from medical conditions who say the use of cannabis oil could ease their children's symptoms and improve their quality of life. "It will be a monumental task to get this bill done," said Peake, who serves as secretary/treasurer for the House Majority Caucus. "But if we can do it this session, for these parents and these kids, it will be worth every ounce of political influence I have to get it done." [continues 540 words]
