This spring, in an emotional ceremony surrounded by courageous parents of children with epilepsy, Gov. Nathan Deal signed House Bill 1, Haleigh’s Hope Act. The law lets Georgia citizens with eight debilitating illnesses, who are properly registered with the state, legally possess medical cannabis oil.
To date, more than 400 hurting Georgians have signed up for the registry. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear of medical cannabis oil improving the quality of life for one of our hurting Georgians. A recent poll showed 86 percent of our citizens approved of this bill. That’s the good news.
The bad news is all of those citizens still face a major hurdle – access to a safe, laboratory-tested, effective product here in our own state. Some have been able to find a manufacturer that will ship the oil to Georgia, but what happens if that manufacturer is shut down or stops shipping the product?
Others have traveled to another state to obtain the product, and risked arrest returning to Georgia. While many are willing to take this risk for the health benefits for themselves or a loved one, others cannot for obvious financial, logistical or legal reasons.
That is why it is crucial for us as lawmakers to pass legislation in the next session that will take away the potential criminal consequences of hurting Georgians attempting to access a product that is now legal within our own borders.
The poll mentioned above also found 84 percent of all Georgians and 79 percent of registered Republican primary voters support expanding the law to permit the production and distribution of medical cannabis oil here under strict regulation and security. No other issue in our state unites our citizens like this issue. That’s because a debilitating illness like cancer, ALS, or epilepsy is not partisan.
Hurting Georgians are black, white, brown, Republican, Democrat and independent. All they want is access to medicine that can potentially change the quality of their lives. It is our moral responsibility as lawmakers to make sure there is a safe, timely and effective method to obtain this medicine.
There have been concerns this may be a step toward legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. Let me state again, as I have done numerous times, I will not support — and will in fact fight — any attempt to legalize marijuana for recreational usage, as has been done in Colorado. I am confident a majority of my colleagues feel the same.
Law enforcement has also expressed fear that in-state production of medical cannabis oil will lead to higher crime, and that it will be difficult to control.
While I have tremendous respect for our brave law enforcement officials, the fact is, illegal pot is being grown and sold in our state every day right now. Why not strictly regulate it so those who are truly hurting, and want access for the right medical reasons, can be assured they are getting a safe, consistent product to help them deal with the ravages of their illness? I, for one, believe our law enforcement is up to the task of helping us control a limited infrastructure for growing and distributing medical cannabis oil.
Some have said there is not enough demand for businesses to invest in building a growth/distribution facility under our current law. I have personally spoken to several companies, some of whom testified at our commission hearings, that are fully prepared to invest millions if licensed to grow medical cannabis oil in Georgia, even under the current parameters of our law.
The time has come. We must provide safe and legal access to medical cannabis oil in our state under a tightly regulated, very restricted model, similar to Minnesota's (For information, go to: http://www.health.state.mn.us/topics/cannabis/). Every hurting Georgian who suffers from a debilitating illness deserves that option. That is our job as legislators, our moral obligation as leaders and our responsibility as fellow citizens. Let's get it done, and do it right.
HB 1 was passed because parents of sick children lobbied diligently for their kids. I challenge the citizens of Georgia to voice their support for providing access to medical cannabis here in our great state for our hurting citizens.
State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, is chairman of the Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission. He sponsored House Bill 1, “Haleigh’s Hope Act,” which was signed into law earlier this year.
About the Author
