Opinion

Readers write

(Phil Skinner/AJC)

1 hour ago

Medical marijuana bill needs governor’s veto

As mental health professionals, we are deeply concerned about the new bill on medical marijuana (Senate Bill 220) and strongly urge Gov. Brian Kemp to veto it.

The bill undermines the compassionate intent of Georgia’s low-THC oil program by expanding access to dangerously high-THC marijuana products veiled as “medical care” while stripping essential safeguards that protect patients and communities. The changes were made to prioritize for-profit business rather than compassionate care. This is marijuana masquerading as medicine.

SB220 would authorize access to high-risk cannabis products with no demonstrated medical benefit and with established risks for psychosis, addiction, seizures, heart attacks, cognitive impairment and other serious health harms. It would allow individuals to possess up to the equivalent of more than 1,700 marijuana joints, with no meaningful limits on the frequency of purchase.

Developing brains are particularly vulnerable to cannabis-induced harms. SB220 would allow many adolescent patients access to products containing up to 95% THC, subjecting them to known risks of addiction, psychosis, IQ loss, and other harms.

SB220 also weakens public protections by reducing penalties for large-scale diversion to the black market, removing warnings about the lack of FDA approval, and eliminating the requirement that qualifying conditions be severe or limited to end-of-life care.

KELLY COFFMAN, MD, MPH, ROSWELL

KAREN DREXLER, MD, ATLANTA

MARTHA FISKEAUX, PSYD, ATLANTA

BEN HUNTER, MD, ATLANTA

ELIZABETH MCCORD, MD, ATLANTA

JUSTIN PALANCI, MD, ATLANTA

GISELE REMY-BRYAN, LCSW, MDIV, BRASELTON

YILANG TANG, MD, PHD, TUCKER

Time for moderate Democrats to wake up

Our founding fathers and the millions of American soldiers who died in our wars so this country could exist did not do it for today’s liberal socialist Democrats. It’s time for the moderate Democrats to wake up and realize this is no longer the party of any proud American.

Trump will pass, and we need to continue to turn this country away from the socialists, woke and whiners that are today’s real Democrats.

BOB GEORGE, ALPHARETTA

North Korea is greater threat than Iran

The price of petroleum for fuel, plastics and fertilizer has gone way up. Why has the U.S. been sucked into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal war against the Palestinians?

Iran was years away from having a nuclear weapon. Iran was years away from having a missile that could reach the U.S. Why the concern if Iran’s nuclear program was obliterated a year ago?

Our concern should be with North Korea. North Korea has nuclear weapons. North Korea has missiles that can reach anywhere in the U.S. North Korea has submarines that can launch missiles.

BILL KOHLER, ACWORTH