A proposal to legalize a form of medical marijuana had its first hearing on Tuesday as supporters and opponents disagreed over the efficacy of the drug and the potential impact on the state.
State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, told members of the House Judiciary (Non-Civil) Committee that his House Bill 1 would provide needed relief for sufferers of a range of disorders, but that the drug itself would not be abused by recreational users as it is low in the chemical that makes the user high.
“No, you can’t get high off this stuff,” Peake said. “People that want to get a cannabis oil product and want to get high … are going to be greatly disappointed.”
But sheriffs and prosecutors said the bill as written is a threat to law and order and is a dangerous step toward legal recreational use of marijuana.
District attorneys said only Alabama and Iowa have legalized a form of cannabis oil with as much THC — the ingredient that produces a high — as Peake has suggested.
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