As director of Georgia C.A.R.E., I wish to thank state Reps. Allen Peake and Micah Gravley and other sponsors of House Bill 1 and the Georgia General Assembly for their efforts to acknowledge and establish cannabis (marijuana) as a recognized, legitimate medicine.
I am proud of the patients, parents and public who lobbied legislators concerning this issue. Their efforts have set the course for the future of this natural medicine and the potential healing of thousands of sick and afflicted citizens.
With the creation of a study commission, Georgia can now focus on the best policy for establishing in-state cultivation, whole-plant medicine and the expansion of treatable medical conditions.
Georgia should not look to states like Colorado as the solution to medical accessibility, and it should not implement a similar policy here. Governor Deal has said he does not want Georgia to become Colorado. Perhaps, then, we should look at the more-than 20 other legislative models in place.
HB 1 does not legalize cannabis but offers some patients immunity from prosecution from importing specified cannabis extracts from other states. Patients who can afford to travel to other states or risk smuggling the products into Georgia may benefit.
I view Senate Bill 7, offered by Sen. Curt Thompson, as a viable solution to legal access in Georgia, and I encourage the passage of such legislation in the future.
I recognize that many patients and advocates are disappointed by the limited nature of HB 1. We encourage them to continue to push for better legislation. We must overcome the taboo of THC and recognize whole-plant medicine is required to achieve the full potential of cannabis therapeutics.
For Georgia to provide effective protection for seriously ill people who engage in the medical use of marijuana, a state law must:
• Define the legitimate medical use of marijuana by requiring a person who seeks legal protection to have a medical condition that is sufficiently serious or debilitating, and have the approval of his or her medical practitioner.
• Avoid provisions that would require physicians or government employees to violate federal law for patients to legally use medical marijuana.
• Provide at least one of the following means of obtaining marijuana, and preferably all three: Let patients cultivate their own marijuana; permit primary caregivers to cultivate marijuana on behalf of patients; and authorize nongovernmental organizations to cultivate and distribute marijuana and extracts to patients and their primary caregivers.
• Implement a series of sensible restrictions, such as prohibiting patients and providers from possessing large quantities of marijuana, driving while under the influence of marijuana and so forth.
These measures will ensure safe and legal access to one of the safest natural medicines known to mankind.
James Bell is director of Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education Inc., a cannabis advocacy organization.
