Parents pushing for legal marijuana in Georgia

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Last edited Thu Jan 23, 2014, 07:53 PM - Edit history (1)

By Lori Geary

ATLANTA —
Parents pushing for the legalization of medical marijuana in Georgia are ramping up as the 2014 legislative season will get underway next week.

Channel 2's Lori Geary spoke to several parents who gathered at a home in Mableton in Cobb County.

Many of their children suffer from different seizure disorders.

Children with similar issues in states like Colorado and California, where medical marijuana is legal, are seeing remarkable improvements after receiving a form of the drug.

"These kids in Colorado are not getting high, they're taking it in an oil format, they're not smoking it. It's basically safer than any medicine we can prescribe our children today," parent Blaine Cloud told Geary.


cont

The parents know it's a tough year to get any major piece of legislation passed because all of the lawmakers under the Gold Dome, including Gov. Nathan Deal, are up for re-election.

Geary talked to one high-ranking Republican who says he's open to hearings on the issue.



http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/parents-pushing-legal-marijuana-georgia/ncdsc/

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1. Update

ATLANTA - 11Alive News has learned that a bill to allow immediate use of marijuana for medical purposes could be introduced in the State Legislature as early as this week.

The bill is being drawn up by State Representative Allen Peake (R-Macon), who's had a change of heart over the issue in just the past two weeks.

"We're not looking for legalization of recreational use of marijuana; that is the last thing on our mind and it won't happen in this legislature, I can promise you that," Peake told 11Alive on Tuesday.

A large group of pro-marijuana lobbyists held a rally on the steps of the state capitol Tuesday as they prepared to submit 15,000 petition signatures urging lawmakers to rewrite all of the state's pot laws.

"We are for all forms of marijuana law reform in Georgia," said Sharon Ravert, Executive Director of Peachtree NORML.

While they realize legalization or even decriminalization probably won't happen in Georgia any time soon, they applaud lawmakers like Peake for at least considering medical use.





http://www.11alive.com/news/article/319466/40/Georgia-lawmaker-to-introduce-medical-marijuana-bill-soon