Quantcast

House Members Approve Georgia Medical Marijuana Bill

GA House of Representatives Approve Georgia Medical Marijuana Bill

Georgia Medical Marijuana BillIn a sweeping vote on Wednesday, February 25th, the Georgia House of Representatives approved a Georgia medical marijuana bill to allow the state’s residents access to marijuana prescriptions for select disorders.

The vote was an astounding victory of 158-2 in favor of the medical marijuana legislation, which would allow cannabis oil, which contains CBD or cannabidiol and not THC, the euphoria or “high”-inducing part of the drug, to be used as a prescription medication. The bill decriminalizes CBD in Georgia, and allows the state’s doctors to write prescriptions for medical marijuana, and patients can purchase their prescriptions from states where medical marijuana is legal.

The bill will now go to the Senate.

The rule requiring a Georgia doctor “was done to keep the doctor/patient relationship at the core” of the medical cannabis decision, said state Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon). Peake is the author of the medical marijuana legislation, called House Bill 1.

“For those who want to abuse marijuana, they are not going to travel to another state. … They can go to any street corner in any city in our state and purchase weed” that’s three to four times stronger than anything Peake’s bill allows, he said.

The Georgia medical marijuana legislation would allow CBD oil prescriptions for patients diagnosed with cancer, Lou Gehrig’s disease, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, mitochondrial disease, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease and sickle cell disease. Although the federal government has not been able to conduct studies into the effectiveness of medical marijuana, because marijuana is still a Schedule I drug according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, as many as 23 states have medical marijuana legislation, including South Carolina, which has a similar limited CBD oil bill.

Unfortunately, getting CBD oil into South Carolina, and now potentially Georgia, is a complicated matter. Neither state currently allows farmers to cultivate marijuana, even for medical use, and due to the federal laws, residents cannot legally order CBD oil or other marijuana products from states that have legalized recreational or medical marijuana.

However, the Georgia bill allows for the creation of a committee to discuss the finer points of growing marijuana in the state. including the manufacture medical marijuana,  sale and distribution the drug, without fear of possession or trafficking charges.

In South Carolina, Senator Tom Davis filed a medical marijuana bill in December last year to allow South Carolina farmers to grow and process medical marijuana. He also filed a second bill to discuss growing and manufacturing hemp products in the state. Sen. Davis, who has long been a champion of medical marijuana use in South Carolina, said he would also draft and file three more bills in the 2015 legislative session to relax some of the restrictions on medical marijuana and help South Carolina manufacture and sell the drug to citizens that need it.

If You Face Marijuana Charges, Including for Medical Marijuana Use Charges, The Strom Law Firm Can Help

Although many states have passed medical marijuana legislation, Georgia and South Carolina still have not legalized the use of marijuana for recreational or medical reasons. You could be charged with drug possession. If you or a loved one have been found with medical marijuana, you could face criminal charges ranging from misdemeanor to felony, depending on how much marijuana was on your person, and what your intent was with the drug. The drug crimes attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. Do not let drug charges for medical marijuana hurt your reputation or your future aspirations. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. 803.252.4800