If the Georgia Senate and House of Representatives approve the medical marijuana bill the state would become a leader in the nation in health care.

James Bell, founder of Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education is one supporter of this belief.

House Bill 885 would grant easier access for patients with glaucoma, epilepsy and cancer to receive cannabidiol oil, a derivative of medical marijuana.

On March 3, "Crossover Day," the last possible day for a bill to be approved by either chamber, the Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 885 in a 171 person to four person vote, Bell said. The bill then went to a senate committee who debated and altered the bill, attaching autism to the list of patients allowed to receive medical cannabis. The senate will vote to approve the amended version and pass it along to the House for a vote on March 20.

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