Medical Marijuana Legalization in Georgia (Atlanta, Gay: 2014, how much, house)

[tikigod311]

As legalization efforts are ramping up around the country, surprisingly, there has been some pro medical marijuana legalization comments coming out of the GOP run legislature.

One of the most powerful lawmakers in Georgia is giving parents of kids who suffer from severe seizure disorders hope.

House Speaker David Ralston told Channel 2's Lori Geary that while he has some concerns, he's open to the idea of legalizing medical marijuana.

House Speaker says he's open to idea of legalizing medical... | www.wsbtv.com

WHOA! I never would have guessed a Republican leader in Georgia would voluntarily be open to this idea. I'm very surprised at these comments. It seems like the tide of opinion in the US is turning on marijuana. What are your thoughts?

[BeyondInfinity]

If Marijuana can help with any illness or sickness then it should have been legal a long time ago. The U.S Government and these states need to get with the program. They legalize alcohol and tobacco but refuse to legalize a plant that has proven over and over again to be beneficial to many that are sick

[magnetar]

Cannabis has been tightly regulated but legal and taxed in Colorado for 10 days. I think the results of their experiment will be a significant turning point in whether decriminalizing cannabis continues across the rest of the country. It seems like conservatives and liberals are both becoming more interested in expanding personal freedom instead of attempting to legislate morality through prohibitions; I think we can all agree that trade and foreign policy is far more important to our long term survival.

The GA Campaign for Access, Reform, & Education is lobbying the legislature to consider medical access to cannabis. Because Georgia's legislative session is so short there's not a huge window in which to get things done. I don't expect big moves on this front in an election year, but letting your elected representatives know your position will help ease their fears of a constituent backlash.

[WanderingImport]

So happy that the thought has even been entertained! I never thought the day would come. Er, that is, without the federal government pushing it on us.

My hope is that we can have medical marijuana legal by 2016. If not by then, certainly by 2020. Fingers crossed.

Now, next issue. Gay marriage. That'll definitely be a next to impossible hurdle in the State of Georgia.

[Listener2307]

From the article:

During a 2014 Legislative preview Ralston said, "I have some concerns about it quite frankly but I think, let's take the politics out of it, and look at the science and hear the medical professionals."

It's doomed. They will be able to find plenty of scientists and medical professionals will to advance the nutty idea that seizure prone children can be assisted by smoking dope, just as they can find people who will tout the idea that legalized gambling advances the educational system.

Political leaders do this. They promise to take a look; to compromise; to hear from all parties. Obama does it all the time (remember when he compromised with the gullible students at Notre Dame that he, pro choice, would compromise with them, pro life, and reach a consensus?) knowing that most people will go back to sleep and forget how it all came out.

Who knows? There may actually be "hearings"?

[neil0311]

I'm not against true "medical marijuana" in the way it was envisioned. Helping the truly sick is fine.

What we don't need is a system like California where anyone can go to a "doctor" and gets a "prescription" for "medicine" aka marijuana. The system in CA is a joke, where just about any pothead can figure out how to get his "medicine."

[tikigod311]

I would imagine that the Georgia system of licensing would be much more strict than CA or CO.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by Listener2307

From the article:


It's doomed. They will be able to find plenty of scientists and medical professionals will to advance the nutty idea that seizure prone children can be assisted by smoking dope, just as they can find people who will tout the idea that legalized gambling advances the educational system.

Political leaders do this. They promise to take a look; to compromise; to hear from all parties. Obama does it all the time (remember when he compromised with the gullible students at Notre Dame that he, pro choice, would compromise with them, pro life, and reach a consensus?) knowing that most people will go back to sleep and forget how it all came out.

Who knows? There may actually be "hearings"?

I totally understand the cynicism, but in this case, he expressed support when he didn't have to. I dunno, the tone of the speaker and the Republican senator mentioned below seems supportive and not politics as usual.

Georgia's long overlooked medical marijuana law deserves a new hearing, GOP state senator says | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta

[brownhornet]

What exactly is the purpose of being against it anyway? Weed is readily available on any corner of nearly any neighborhood in any city in every state of the US. Legalize it and you take the criminal aspect out of it and collect taxes that otherwise just goes in the pockets of dealers and cartels here. I mean seriously, I don't even smoke but I could find weed anywhere in Atlanta within 5 minutes. The only question is how much money will they stand to lose by locking up people in prison for petty possession charges. That privatized prison money is quite lucrative to states.

[cwlawrence]

Georgia has the right climate and agricultural infrastructure to benefit massively, not only from medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, but also for hemp production.

Also, Listener2307, apparently isn't listening so well: seizure-prone children are not "smoking dope", they are given a tincture of a non-psychotropic canabinoid to lessen the seizures.

But what would a bunch of "pot-heads" know anyhow? Now, lets go get legally drunk and forget about this whole thing