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| Georgia State Lawmakers OK Medical Marijuana |
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Posted by CN Staff on March 05, 2014 at 12:20:43 PT By David Beasley Source: Reuters 
Atlanta -- A Georgia measure that would legalize use of a liquid, non-intoxicating form of marijuana for patients with severe seizure disorders has been passed by the state House of Representatives with wide support.Lawmakers approved the legislation on Monday in a 171-4 bipartisan vote, and the bill, which would limit availability of medical marijuana to a handful of research facilities, now goes to the state Senate for consideration. The measure's sponsor, Republican Representative Allen Peake, said he had become interested in the issue after learning about a constituent's 4-year-old daughter, who suffers from a seizure disorder. "This really was a human story," Peake said in an interview on Tuesday. "I couldn't be more proud of my colleagues for the courageous vote they cast." Medical marijuana in various forms is legal in 20 states. Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and at least six others are considering legalizing it, according to Washington-based pro-marijuana group NORML. If the Georgia medical marijuana bill becomes law, patients would only be able to obtain the drug from five university research centers in the state, Peake said. Georgia law already allows these medical research facilities to dispense marijuana to cancer and glaucoma patients, although a state board has never been authorized to administer the program, according to Peake. His legislation would activate the board and include seizure disorders in the program. In Alabama, a bill called Carly's law, initiated to help a toddler with violent seizures, was filed in the first days of the legislative session that convened on January 14. The measure, which is still in committee review, also makes it legal to possess a prescribed medical-grade extract known as cannabidiol, or CBD, which is not intoxicating. Florida lawmakers also are considering legalizing CBD, which has shown promising results for controlling seizures. The strain is low in tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive compound that gives users the feeling of being high. The product has no value to traditional marijuana consumers and comes as an oil. Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lisa Von Ahn CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
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| Comment #3 posted by Hope on March 05, 2014 at 21:26:19 PT |
| is considered "Courageous". That's so outrageous that it's creepy. Courageous? It took amazing amounts of courage to do this right thing? That's pitiful. Just pitiful. What about those other four? There's something a heck of a lot more wrong with those pitiful excuses for humanity than just lack of courage. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by afterburner on March 05, 2014 at 20:49:35 PT |
| "Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of an estimated 100 unique, biologically active compounds present in the marijuana plant. First discovered in 1940 (though its specific chemical structure was not identified until 1963), CBD is the most studied cannabinoid after delta-9-THC." This seems to answer to previous question about dates of THC: discovery of the compound predates discovery of its chemical structure. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Universer on March 05, 2014 at 14:22:46 PT |
| Certainly a step, particularly in the Deep Red South, but beware the puritanical, anti-high, THC-only lawmaking. Paul Armentano of NORML writes in Cannabis Now Magazine: "Patients Ought To Be Skeptical Of Proposed CBD-Only Legislation" [ Post Comment ] |
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