State law enforcement officials said Wednesday that any expansion of medical marijuana in Georgia will need extensive regulations to protect patients and to be sure the system isn't exploited.

GBI Director Vernon Keenan and others said if the state makes marijuana broadly available for medical reasons, it should mirror federal pharmaceutical law that requires extensive testing and monitoring of controlled substances.

Keenan and leaders of the state sheriffs' association told members of a special commission studying the issue that doing otherwise will lead to abuse.

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Thousands of Georgians may soon have access to medicine that will treat their diseases or illnesses, ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's. However, state lawmakers must first act to permit the harvesting and distribution, under strict guidelines, of cannabis oil.

Earlier this year, the Georgia Assembly passed House Bill 1, which was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on April 16. This law allows the possession of cannabis oil with up to 5 percent THC, with a doctor's certification, for eight conditions: seizure disorders, cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, mitochondrial disease, Crohn's and sickle cell disease.

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Cannabis Law an Important First Step

I am a clinical gastroenterologist, practicing at Emory Midtown Hospital for 35 years. I am the managing member of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates. We practice throughout the greater Atlanta area and Athens and have about 82 physicians, 30 PAs and nurse practitioners and 550 employees. We treat a large number of patients with Crohn's disease, and the work of the medical cannabis commission is of great importance to me and my colleagues.

There are two issues I would like to address today: Crohn's Disease and the role of medical cannabis as a therapeutic agent in the care of these patients; and the use and regulation of medical cannabis in Georgia.

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I read with interest the article entitled "Rethinking lifetime prison sentences" (News, Aug. 23). The article is written as if the prisoners were the victims. The dealers did not pull the trigger that killed the addicts but, indirectly, they are responsible for their death. Maybe not a physical death, but one that robs them of their productive life.

Eventually, the user will depend on the state and/or their family for their every physical need. The user chose to ingest the drugs and they should bear some of the burden. Many of the users finally figure it out, make a recovery, and become productive. I doubt this is true for dealers; the life is easy, the money is good, no taxes to pay, no up early and off to a real job. I believe the majority of the dealers did not intend to become a dealer, but in order to support their habit they began dealing.

LARRY NEWSOME, FAYETTEVILLE

[end]

Although Georgia House Bill 1 allows medical marijuana for several severe medical conditions, it needs to be emphasized that none of these conditions have been shown to be helped by this approach, except for some instances of nausea and vomiting in people on cancer chemotherapy. I recently reviewed more than 200 articles in the medical literature back to 1950 on the efficacy of marijuana for many severe medical conditions, and found absolutely no evidence in controlled studies for any other documented benefits.

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More Than 130 Register; Doctors Want More Info.

As of Aug. 11, more than 130 patients including 12-year-old Sydney Wages had qualified for Georgia's new medical marijuana registry after its first 50 days.

DALLAS, GA. - Twilight fell on the Wages family's compound, easing the August heat as Jim "J-Bo" Wages gently wrapped his arm around his 12-year-old daughter, Sydney, and kissed her cheek. His message received, J-Bo turned the key to the family four-wheeler and it roared to life. A smile fluttered across his daughter's face, and they raced across the yard. CURTIS COMPTON / AJC Lisa Wages helps her daughter, Sydney, down the steps of their home for a family outing recently in Dallas, Ga. The Wages were among the very first to receive permission from the state to use low-dose cannabis oil without fear of prosecution.

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A federal grand jury has indicted a Habersham County deputy sheriff on charges of falsifying information to obtain and execute a "no-knock" search warrant for drugs last year that employed the use of a flash grenade and seriously injured a young child.

Nikki Autry, 29, of Clarkesville, a former special agent of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Criminal Investigation and Suppression Team, will be arraigned this week on charges of civil rights violations related to unreasonable searches and seizures and arrest without probable cause.

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I think it is appalling that state Rep. Alex Atwood views House Bill 233, the Georgia Uniform Civil Forfeiture Procedure Act, as the best Georgia's elected leadership can do for its citizens ("Civil forfeiture reform at last," Opinion, July 17). Is a uniform report that state agencies must complete really the only step forward? If so, that is pathetic. What Rep. Atwood's piece did not say was Georgia sheriffs are exempt from efforts to rein in their abuses.

Since only state law enforcement agencies are bound by the new law, not sheriffs, the forced removal of personal property on the side of the road from the whim of a Georgia sheriff will continue. This is why the Georgia Sheriff's Association allowed this bill to pass while defeating all other bills that might have made a real difference. As a Georgia taxpaying citizen and past police officer, I view the Sheriff's Association as extremely bad actors and am truly disappointed no one at the Georgia Legislature could pass real reform.

PATTY DURAND, ATLANTA

[end]

ATLANTA (AP) - A former Georgia deputy sheriff was indicted Wednesday on federal charges for her role in setting up a "no-knock" drug raid that severely injured a toddler when a flash grenade detonated in his playpen.

Former Habersham County Deputy Nikki Autry, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of providing false information in a search warrant affidavit, Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn said. Autry also is charged with providing false information to obtain an arrest warrant.

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Toddler's Mom Relieved Charges Have Been Filed.

The mother of a toddler severely injured by a flash bang grenade expressed relief Thursday that federal civil rights charges were filed against a Habersham County sheriff 's deputy involved in the botched drug raid.

"This is a good start towards justice," said Alecia Phonesavanh, whose son, Bounkham "Bou Bou" Phonesavanh, then 19 months old, sustained severe injuries to his face and chest, along with possible brain damage, after a stun grenade landed in his playpen during the May 2014 raid.

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ATLANTA (AP) - A former Georgia deputy sheriff was indicted Wednesday on federal charges for her role in setting up a "no-knock" drug raid that severely injured a toddler when a flash grenade detonated in his playpen.

Former Habersham County Deputy Nikki Autry, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of providing false information in a search warrant affidavit, Acting U. S. Attorney John Horn said. Autry also is charged with providing false information to obtain an arrest warrant.

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Charlie Horace Scandrett Jr. was a free man Tuesday after serving 18 years of a 30-year sentence on a drug conviction, a punishment a Clayton County judge said was "just not right."

"I'm going to do today what probably should have been done a long time ago," said Superior Court Judge Matthew O. Simmons as the Scandrett's father and sister wept during a hearing."Today he can go home to his family."

Scandrett could have been out within five years but the state-court judge who was filling in for Simmons the day he was convicted in 1997 gave him the maximum sentence possible under the recidivist laws at the time, said Patrick Mulvaney, a lawyer for the Southern Center for Human Rights.

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6 things to know now that medical marijuana is legal in Georgia

Senate to propose new medical marijuana plan Georgia State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon shows a bottle of medical cannabis oil as he presents his House Bill 1 on Feb. 3, 2015. BRANT SANDERLIN / BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM

1. House Bill 1 took effect immediately on Thursday, and makes it legal for people in Georgia who suffer from eight illnesses to possess up to 20 ounces of cannabis oil if a physician signs off.

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It's good news and bad news for Rome and Floyd County in the battle to curb methamphetamine labs here. First, the good news: the efforts of law enforcement to find and destroy home-grown meth-cooking operations of significant size in this area have been very successful. That, combined with stricter regulation and monitoring of ingredients used by labs, has caused a decline in local meth production.

Now users have gravitated to the "one pot cook method," says Barry McElroy, assistant commander of the Rome-Floyd Metro Task Force. This involves making a small quantity of meth in a soft drink bottle and then tossing the bottle away. In the past two years, McElroy's unit has been called to the sites of no more than two labs and they were not full-sized, active operations.

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ATLANTA (AP) - In an emotional ceremony in his Capitol office, Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order Friday ordering state agencies to start preparations now for the enactment of the state's medical marijuana bill.

Deal said Friday he'll sign it into law soon after the current legislative session ends April 2 to avoid possible procedural conflicts with other pieces of legislation.

He said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, will allow the use of cannabis oil for treatment of seizure disorders, cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, mitochondrial disease, Parkinson's and sickle cell anemia.

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Georgia's medical marijuana proposal took what its chief sponsor called "a giant leap" forward Thursday, March 19, by passing a Senate committee after a long, emotional hearing.

A divided Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved House Bill 1, sponsored by Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), after hearing testimony on issues ranging from medical treatment and patients' pain to drug addiction and a lack of research data.

Peake said the legislation, if ultimately passed by the Legislature, can bring home the Georgia parents who are living with their ailing children in Colorado to give the youngsters access to medical cannabis. Colorado's relatively loose marijuana laws have made it a magnet for families whose children need the treatment.

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Wrong house, wrong door, wrong guy: Dalton police bust into wrong home while serving warrants

A case of confusion while serving warrants has the Dalton Police Department apologizing for a mistake and in the market for a new door.

Late Tuesday night, detectives from the department's drug unit were attempting to serve a search warrant two arrest warrants. When no one answered, law enforcement personnel busted through the door with a handheld ram. But they were at the wrong address.

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ATLANTA - Sebastien and Annett Cotte don't plan to come home to Atlanta from Denver until after their 4-year-old son Jagger dies - or the Georgia Legislature passes a bill making medicinal marijuana legal.

At 15 months, doctors told the Cottes their son wouldn't make it to 3, then that he'd never see 4. But he did, and a few months ago they moved to Colorado, where marijuana use is legal, and began to treat his seizures with cannabis oil, his dad said Monday. "He has fewer seizures, but we can't come home if we don't have a bill."

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It's disappointing that Georgia's sheriffs oppose a measure that could do much good for Georgians who suffer from chronic diseases like cancer and seizure disorders. Last week, the executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, J. Terry Norris, said members of the organization are concerned that a bill that would legalize cannabis oil for medical use in limited circumstances would expand.

Mr. Norris told an Atlanta area TV station that the sheriffs didn't object to children getting the treatment. But adults apparently were another matter.

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On Feb. 3, Hope United held a rally at the Liberty Plaza, Georgia State Capitol Building to raise awareness for the need of in-state cultivation of medical cannabis.

Currently there is a bill being discussed - HB1 - that will give immunity for possessing cannabis oil in Georgia if you meet one or more of the 16 medical conditions listed in this bill. Additionally, there cannot be any more than 5 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component) - 3 percent for children under 18 - and must meet a minimum of 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD (cannadbidiol).

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