National polls show 58 percent now support legalizing medicinal marijuana, and 80 percent indicate support for doing so. This shift in attitudes toward cannabis comes after 20 states and the District of Columbia enacted medical marijuana laws, and Colorado and Washington voted to legalize its use.
Will Georgia follow suit and reform its laws? Georgia activists say yes, but it will take considerable work to educate the Legislature and motivate the public to get more involved. One thing is certain: The movement to reform these laws in Georgia is growing. TheLegislature will address this issue at some point.
The General Assembly has addressed the medical marijuana issue in the past. In 1980, Georgia was one of the first states to pass a medical marijuana research act. The law allowed the use of marijuana for cancer therapy and glaucoma. But smoking the federal government’s harsh “ditch weed” was intolerable for many, and the pharmaceutical form of THC was more palatable. The program is no longer active. Georgia has lost more than 30 years of medical research; we could have been a pioneer in cannabis therapeutics.
A major factor in the increase in public support for cannabis was the documentary “Weed” by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This ground-breaking exposé opened the eyes and hearts of millions of viewers to the medicine called cannabis.
On the criminal justice front, Georgia has enacted certain legal reforms to reduce the number of non-violent offenders in the prison system. It has ignored the issue of marijuana law reform.
Georgia has some of the most draconian marijuana laws in the nation, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison for possession of more than an ounce. With nearly 30,000 arrests each year, the harm done to our citizens by these laws far exceeds any real or perceived harm cause by marijuana.
It’s time Georgia treats marijuana more like wine than plutonium. Not only is marijuana prohibition a civil rights issue, it’s also a money issue. The money we spend on arrest, prosecution and incarceration for a commodity known to be far safer than alcohol and tobacco could be redirected to prevent and enforce real crimes against people.
As an activist, I am encouraged by the support I am seeing from the public. Even legislators are educating themselves about the topic and are seeking alternate policies.
We can kick-start the process by having compassion for the seriously ill. Allow them access to a relatively safe medicine that has proven to offer relief from suffering. With certain states engaged in cannabis therapeutics and research, we have just begun to understand what this plant has to offer.
We have drafted legislation and seek support. We encourage citizens to contact their legislators to begin a dialog on this issue. With marijuana, Georgia should apply its motto: “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation.”
James Bell is founder of the Georgia CARE (Campaign for Access, Reform and Education) Project.
