The two Republicans still running for governor appear to be more open to discussing the in-state cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes than the man currently sitting in the big chair at the Capitol.
Neither Casey Cagle nor Brian Kemp has actually endorsed legalizing in-state cultivation, but they both said during their debate last week on Channel 2 Action News that they would take advice from a panel of experts studying how to expand the state’s medical marijuana program. Cultivation is an option they’re willing to consider.
The most apparent problem with the program, which allows people suffering from more than a dozen illnesses to possess up to 20 ounces of cannabis oil, is that there’s no way for them to legally obtain the drug. The roughly 4,000 people who have registered with the state for treatment face the potential of federal prosecution if they’re caught transporting the drug across state lines.
Gov. Nathan Deal opposed in-state cultivation this year, as he had in the past, saying there weren’t enough safeguards.
Cagle and Kemp, who face off in Tuesday’s runoff, appeared willing to go further than Deal. They were at least willing to talk about it.
“Access could mean many things, cultivation could be one of those. But there are other methods as well,” Cagle said. “If the only option we have under a very tight regulatory environment is to harvest it here, then I will pursue that.”
Kemp said he supports “research-based expansion” of the program.
“If there’s research there that shows an expansion that could even lead to cultivation,” he said, “I’d definitely be open and supportive to doing that.”
State Rep. Allen Peake, who drove the creation and later expansion of the state's medical marijuana law, is encouraged.
He chose to endorse Cagle as the best GOP candidate to solve “the medical cannabis access issue early in his first year in office.”
Both Cagle and Kemp remain opposed to legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Their positions differ from those of the Democrats’ nominee for governor, Stacey Abrams.
In addition to promoting in-state cultivation for medical marijuana — which she sees as a way to combat prescription drug abuse — Abrams backs the decriminalization of some marijuana-related offenses.
Abortion task force: Cagle and Kemp have held a conservative line this campaign when it comes to abortion, each wary that his competitor might take a stance to his right.
Kemp has vowed to pass the nation’s toughest abortion restrictions, and Cagle has said he will sign any “pro-life” legislation that makes its way to the governor’s desk.
Cagle gave the issue a little more attention this past week, assembling a task force to create policy cracking down on abortion facilities that violate the law and advise state agencies on how to "further protect life."
Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols will head the group. Other members include state Sen. P.K. Martin of Lawrenceville and state Rep. Chuck Efstration of Dacula.
Isakson praises Kavanaugh: U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson has always been counted as a vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
None of that changed after the Georgia Republican met this past week with Kavanaugh.
Isakson called Kavanaugh “eminently well-qualified” for the court.
“Judge Kavanaugh has a strong record of applying the law as it is written without regard to his personal views, which is exactly what a judge should do,” Isakson said.
Georgia’s other U.S. senator, Republican David Perdue, is also considered a safe vote for Kavanaugh.
Way negative on newsprint tariff: Isakson also testified this past week in opposition to U.S. tariffs on newsprint from Canada.
At a hearing conducted by the International Trade Commission, Isakson said: “I’m afraid these market increases would affect the markets in a negative way, the information I’m able to read in a negative way, and the dissemination of (information for) the public good in a negative way. None of which are good for the American people or American business.”
Isakson co-sponsored legislation earlier this year to suspend the tariffs until the Commerce Department examines their impact on the printing and publishing industry.
Making change in spending: U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, succeeded this past week in amending a federal spending bill to bar federal funding of Environmental Protection Agency regulations on tractor-trailers. Loudermilk said the regulations harm local trucking businesses and manufacturers.
U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Monroe, was not as fortunate.
He failed to win over enough lawmakers to support his proposal to bar federal funding for a small grants program through the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice.
The grants program was created in the ’90s to “help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks,” according to its website.
Some conservative groups have pushed for years to eliminate the program, which Hice said has become a “platform for political activism.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, is an author of the spending bill.
Candidates, endorsements, etc.:
— President Donald Trump's support for Kemp in the GOP governor's race may have jarred loose a few other endorsements. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich quickly followed suit. Others who also got in line included state Sen. Bruce Thompson, making him one of the few members of the state Senate to publicly oppose Cagle, the president of that chamber for the past 12 years. Former University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and his wife, Barbara, also announced their backing of Kemp, although that might be because of the connection to Athens (Kemp's hometown) more than Trump's influence. It's hard to say, though, because the coach also was a Trump supporter in 2016.
— Earlier in the week, Gov. Nathan Deal went a different way, endorsing Cagle as the best candidate to build on Deal's work in the governor's office. Deal cited similar reasons in also supporting state Sen. David Shafer over former state Rep. Geoff Duncan in Tuesday's GOP runoff.
— A group called A Better Georgia PAC has spent $200,000 for airtime to support Kemp in the GOP governor's race.
— Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has endorsed Abrams in the governor's race. Bottoms never endorsed a candidate in the Democratic primary, although she did give money to Abrams' opponent, former state Rep. Stacey Evans.
— BlackPAC announced ahead of the 6th Congressional District runoff on Tuesday that it's backing Lucy McBath. The group, a new super PAC, has dedicated $35,000 to finance four mailers in support of McBath. She faces Kevin Abel in Tuesday's vote. The winner will run against U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in November's general election.
McBath also won an endorsement from U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta.
Capitol Recap
Here's a look at some of the political and government stories that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's staff broke online during the past week. To see more of them, go to http://www.myajc.com/georgia-politics/.
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