Pubdate: Tue, 28 Jan 2014
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2014 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact:  http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Aaron Gould Sheinin

GA. BILL WOULD LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Physicians Group Backs Restrictive Proposal.

An effort to legalize the use of medical marijuana gained fresh 
momentum Monday when a powerful state lawmaker said he will introduce 
legislation this week.

State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, the Republican caucus secretary, 
said his bill would allow seizure disorder patients to take orally an 
oil derived from the cannabis plant. Peake, who calls himself an 
"unlikely champion" of the movement, said his proposal would allow 
for medical marijuana that is "limited in scope, highly restricted, 
well regulated."

His effort received a major boost when the Medical Association of 
Georgia, the state's largest professional group of physicians, said 
it will support Peake's effort.

The news was most welcome to Becky Gaunt of Marietta. Gaunt's 
22-month-old son, Connor, was born with tuberous sclerosis complex, 
which causes benign tumors that lead to seizures. Connor has 
undergone brain surgery and tried seven different medications 
approved by the Food and Drug Administration, none of which have 
stopped the seizures that have stunted his development.

"I try to stress to people who don't understand that one, the kids 
aren't smoking, and they're not getting high," said Gaunt, who noted 
that patients would drink the cannabis oil. "Brain surgery is so 
invasive and comes with so many dangers. To compare any possible 
dangers of medical cannabis to brain surgery doesn't make any sense."

Opposition to the idea remains. The idea of making legal what has 
long been both against the law and viewed as a moral hazard is a 
difficult one for many. For others, there's also the fact that 
marijuana in any form, whether as a medication or a recreational 
drug, is illegal under federal law.

"People who buy marijuana today illegally are breaking no more laws 
than if they wait until Georgia passes its law," said Jerry Luquire, 
the head of the Georgia Christian Coalition.

But Peake said 20 other states and the District of Columbia already 
allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons. Georgia already has 
laws on the books legalizing the use of marijuana by patients with 
cancer and other serious illnesses, but it's never been used.

A state panel created by that 1980 law to review patient cases has 
for decades been inactive. Peake said his bill would revive it and 
add a series of steps that seizure patients would have to take to 
ultimately receive the medication. Private doctors would not be 
allowed to prescribe it, he said. Instead, a patient would follow a 
six-step process that begins with an application and includes review 
by a state-recognized academic research center.

"At the end of the day, we'll have physicians making decisions," Peake said.

The Macon lawmaker is a recent convert to the benefits of cannabis. 
He met a young girl in his district, Hayleigh Cox, who also suffers 
from seizures.

"Once I met Hayleigh and had a remarkable moment in time with her, I 
knew I couldn't sit still," he said. "If we waited a year to do a 
study committee, some of these kids will die."

Getting the support of the Medical Association of Georgia was key, he said.

Dr. William E. Silver, MAG's president, said the association supports 
existing state law that allows the use of marijuana for cancer and 
glaucoma patients and backs Peake's efforts to add seizure sufferers.

"MAG applauds Rep. Peake for his efforts to help the limited number 
of families who require this kind of unique care in a thoughtful and 
deliberate and responsible way," Silver told The Atlanta 
Journal-Constitution in a statement.

Even with their support, Peake said: "It will be a minor miracle if 
it happens. If we can do it this session, it will be worth every 
ounce of political influence I have."

Evidence of the unease many lawmakers have with the issue is that few 
were willing to comment on the record Monday. Many said they remained 
unconvinced and want to see research first.

State Rep. Buzz Brockway, R-Lawrenceville, who keeps a foot in both 
the libertarian and social conservative wings of the caucus, said 
he's ready to learn more.

"I have an open mind," Brockway said. "I hear conflicting data from 
people I trust."

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, has said he, too, has an 
open mind but needs to hear from the medical and scientific community 
before deciding where he stands.

State Sen. Josh McKoon, who has proposed creating a study committee 
on medical marijuana, said he supports Peake's plan but wants it to 
go further. "We need to look at this more globally, all the different 
medical conditions, all the different applications, and let's get all 
the stakeholders at the table," McKoon told the AJC.

Thus far, Gov. Nathan Deal has been more openly skeptical.

"I am not going to take a firm position on it," Deal told the AJC 
last week. "I think there's a strong case being presented by some of 
the families with very serious situations involving their children. 
The possibility of the General Assembly holding hearings is gaining momentum."

But, he said, "it's very premature for me to take a position."

Staff writers Kristina Torres and Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.
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