Pubdate: Thu, 27 Mar 2014
Source: Rome News-Tribune (GA)
Copyright: 2014 Rome News-Tribune
Contact:  http://www.romenews-tribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1716
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

POLITICS HAS GONE TO POT

GEORGIANS love to kick Alabama around as a model of backward 
thinking, and not always good-naturedly either. They had best change 
their tone, at least regarding matters involving simple human concern 
for others.

Perhaps it was to avoid embarrassment ( for Georgia), but it is 
somewhat amazing that little to no mention was made, either during 
the noisy medical marijuana debate in the recent General Assembly 
session or after the defeat of this measure to help seizure-plagued 
children wheeled before TV cameras almost daily during the argument, 
that the Alabama legislature had just done this very thing - the same week.

The measure unanimously passed in both houses, and their governor has 
already said he will sign it.

Not only that but Georgia's beaten-down measure was forced to cohabit 
with a separate but similar issue - requiring insurance companies to 
offer some autism treatment for children 6 and younger - that was of 
equally worthwhile, compassionate content and also went down.

Georgia's very-backward representatives, apparently a majority of 
those elected, kicked those kids to the side of the road, too. Ahem! 
Alabama approved that back in 2012.

Oh, well ... still got Mississippi to look down upon, right?

Perhaps not for long. Mississippi is one of 15 additional states 
actively discussing the marijuana issue with quite favorable initial 
votes in its legislature.

Moreover, as few seem aware, Mississippi is where the federal 
government grows its own marijuana crop to support research into the 
plant's possible medical benefits.

And Alabama is about to become the 23rd state to approve medical 
marijuana - which in this instance and usage is an oil extract of the 
plant that does not cause any of the "pot smoking" symptoms.

ONE ALMOST expects Georgia politicians, who love to pretend they are 
physicians but typically act more like witch doctors, to next pass a 
bill mandating the use of leeches before antibiotics can be authorized.

Alabama's new law, by the way, was like Georgia's proposal in that it 
did not make this legal but rather provided a "defense of necessity" 
for parents/ guardians found in possession of a substance that it 
remained technically illegal to possess or transport into the state. 
It also required the treated children to be patients of the 
University of Alabama at Birmingham or its affiliated Children's of 
Alabama hospital.

And then the Alabama legislature - Georgia politicians take note - 
added $ 1 million in funding so that UAB could do a neurology 
research project into cannabidiol oil.

As for the autism portion, supported by some of the most powerful 
figures in the Senate, it failed in the House apparently as 
insurance-company lobbyists were pleading that it was unaffordable 
and would force them to raise premiums for everybody. Actually, that 
estimate turns out to be roughly 50 cents as the proposal was sharply defined.

It would only have applied to children younger than 6, could be used 
only for an approach known as applied behavioral therapy that is 
providing good results, included a cap of $ 35,000 per patient per 
year, offered an "opt out" provision for employers and HMOs if it 
raised premiums by more than 1 percent, and exempted small employers.

AUTISM is a varied and growing problem needing urgent addressing - 
including finding causes and prevention. It has more than doubled in 
the past 20 years among children in the United States, perhaps partly 
due to better detection. The rate of cases ... mild to severe ... is 
currently listed as 1 in every 88 young children.

Just for comparative purposes, regarding another childhood affliction 
long covered by insurance companies without a murmur of opposition, 
the incidence of cleft palate/ lips is put at about 1 per 700. Most 
cases require multiple surgeries over the growing years with single 
operations apparently ranging from $ 5,000 to $ 30,000 and "grand 
total" bills able to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

One assumes most legislators had been told such information but that 
in the House, where Republican party politics is king and common 
sense a mere handmaiden, it was ignored for fear of appearing to 
impose a healthcare mandate - just like that supposedly evil 
Obamacare on which unyielding opposition so many re-election hopes 
appear pinned.

The General Assembly creating a "study committee" on medical 
marijuana to cover the badly exposed rear ends of so many of is 
members hardly should save them from receiving a good kick from the 
electorate in the same place.

These topics, particularly involving the most innocent and weakest 
among us that the "herd" is supposed to protect at all costs, have 
nothing to do with medical marijuana for seizures or treatment of 
autism. Public-opinion polls showed overwhelming support of passage 
of these measures. The herd is well; the full-of-bulls pretending to 
leadership are not.

IT IS APPALLING, and now broadcasts nationwide the worst of 
"backward" impressions for Georgia, that the General Assembly failed 
to positively deal with this topic.

In Alabama, apparent land of enlightened politicians and populace, 
the primary sponsor of the medical marijuana measure was Rep. Allen 
Farley of Jefferson County (Birmingham).

Following passage he summed up what had happened well: "When it comes 
down to crunch time, on the real important issues, we saw that we can 
put down our mantles. We can put down the Ds and Rs. We can put down 
the conservatives and the liberals. And we can be moms and dads and 
grandmas and granddads."

It would seem that this alone is excellent reason for far more of the 
state's true moms and dads, grandmas and granddads to make a point of 
voting - or registering to vote.

This is more than an embarrassment. It is a situation that, until 
more politicians come to their senses, will be adding to the 
suffering and even causing the preventable deaths of some children.

Some issues are above and beyond politics. If there are this many 
politicians in Georgia not yet as fully mentally and compassionately 
developed as those in Alabama they have absolutely no business being 
in charge of the general public welfare.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom