It's good news and bad news for Rome and Floyd County in the battle to curb methamphetamine labs here. First, the good news: the efforts of law enforcement to find and destroy home-grown meth-cooking operations of significant size in this area have been very successful. That, combined with stricter regulation and monitoring of ingredients used by labs, has caused a decline in local meth production.

Now users have gravitated to the "one pot cook method," says Barry McElroy, assistant commander of the Rome-Floyd Metro Task Force. This involves making a small quantity of meth in a soft drink bottle and then tossing the bottle away. In the past two years, McElroy's unit has been called to the sites of no more than two labs and they were not full-sized, active operations.

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ATLANTA (AP) - In an emotional ceremony in his Capitol office, Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order Friday ordering state agencies to start preparations now for the enactment of the state's medical marijuana bill.

Deal said Friday he'll sign it into law soon after the current legislative session ends April 2 to avoid possible procedural conflicts with other pieces of legislation.

He said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, will allow the use of cannabis oil for treatment of seizure disorders, cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, mitochondrial disease, Parkinson's and sickle cell anemia.

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Georgia's medical marijuana proposal took what its chief sponsor called "a giant leap" forward Thursday, March 19, by passing a Senate committee after a long, emotional hearing.

A divided Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved House Bill 1, sponsored by Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), after hearing testimony on issues ranging from medical treatment and patients' pain to drug addiction and a lack of research data.

Peake said the legislation, if ultimately passed by the Legislature, can bring home the Georgia parents who are living with their ailing children in Colorado to give the youngsters access to medical cannabis. Colorado's relatively loose marijuana laws have made it a magnet for families whose children need the treatment.

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Wrong house, wrong door, wrong guy: Dalton police bust into wrong home while serving warrants

A case of confusion while serving warrants has the Dalton Police Department apologizing for a mistake and in the market for a new door.

Late Tuesday night, detectives from the department's drug unit were attempting to serve a search warrant two arrest warrants. When no one answered, law enforcement personnel busted through the door with a handheld ram. But they were at the wrong address.

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ATLANTA - Sebastien and Annett Cotte don't plan to come home to Atlanta from Denver until after their 4-year-old son Jagger dies - or the Georgia Legislature passes a bill making medicinal marijuana legal.

At 15 months, doctors told the Cottes their son wouldn't make it to 3, then that he'd never see 4. But he did, and a few months ago they moved to Colorado, where marijuana use is legal, and began to treat his seizures with cannabis oil, his dad said Monday. "He has fewer seizures, but we can't come home if we don't have a bill."

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It's disappointing that Georgia's sheriffs oppose a measure that could do much good for Georgians who suffer from chronic diseases like cancer and seizure disorders. Last week, the executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, J. Terry Norris, said members of the organization are concerned that a bill that would legalize cannabis oil for medical use in limited circumstances would expand.

Mr. Norris told an Atlanta area TV station that the sheriffs didn't object to children getting the treatment. But adults apparently were another matter.

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On Feb. 3, Hope United held a rally at the Liberty Plaza, Georgia State Capitol Building to raise awareness for the need of in-state cultivation of medical cannabis.

Currently there is a bill being discussed - HB1 - that will give immunity for possessing cannabis oil in Georgia if you meet one or more of the 16 medical conditions listed in this bill. Additionally, there cannot be any more than 5 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component) - 3 percent for children under 18 - and must meet a minimum of 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD (cannadbidiol).

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The Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) supports the use of marijuana in strictly controlled medical research programs for patients who have cancer or glaucoma or who suffer from seizures as a result of refractory epilepsy.

This is an important issue for MAG, which is the leading voice for the medical profession in Georgia with more than 7,500 member physicians who represent every specialty and practice setting in the state.

MAG appreciates the steps that lawmakers in Georgia are taking to reach out to physicians as they craft legislation to address medical marijuana. We also applaud them for seeking solutions for the patients and family members who have to cope with these serious medical conditions on a daily basis.

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Medical marijuana is an oft-debated and polarizing subject. It inspires images of everything from a drive-thru dispensary on a sunny California beach to an ailing cancer patient desperately seeking a reprieve from the effects of chemotherapy.

For my own part, I have no dog in the fight. To me, the real question is simple "what does the science tell us?" As with most pharmacy-grade medicines, we should be looking to studies, clinical trials, and research to objectively assess the benefits of treatment against the possible harmful effects.

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The push to reform marijuana laws is spreading throughout America. The public debate has reached Georgia thanks to various advocacy groups and a few lawmakers who have pushed the marijuana debate to the forefront of Georgia politics.

I applaud the efforts of State Rep. Allen Peake and State Sen. Curt Thompson for filing marijuana legislation that has sparked a much-needed discussion on how best Georgia should deal with marijuana.

Rep. Peake wants very limited medical legislation (House Bill 1) while Sen. Thompson wants a more comprehensive law (Senate Bill 7), which would allow for in-state cultivation and dispensing of various forms of cannabis. SB 7 is the better approach to getting medicine to the masses.

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The legislator championing medical marijuana in Georgia said he hopes to announce an agreement soon with a manufacturer that aims to ship cannabis oil to residents in the state.

That process would be facilitated if Georgia passes a bill to offer immunity from prosecution to those families using cannabis oil for medical purposes, said state Rep. Allen Peake, Republican from Macon.

He told reporters Monday, Jan. 26, that the cannabis product in question contains so little THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, "that it's considered hemp."

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Immunity Language Is 'Crucial,' Says State Representative.

State Rep. Allen Peake, RMacon, on Monday officially filed his medical marijuana bill with nearly 100 co-sponsors.

Peake's bill, House Bill 1, will be assigned to committee on Tuesday. It will offer immunity from prosecution to Georgia families who possess a strain of cannabis oil that may be used to treat a variety of disorders.

Peake said he's hopeful that an out-of-state manufacturer will soon agree to ship the product directly to Georgia patients, eliminating the immediate need for a Georgia-based growing and manufacturing program.

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An AJC poll recently found that more Georgians than not support legalizing marijuana for recreational use. We're not talking about decriminalization here or pot brownies for cancer patients; we're talking full-on, Colorado-style marijuana dispensaries.

Forty nine percent of those polled said they support legal weed for adults, while 48 percent disagreed. Registered voters, however, were 52-48 percent against. That's because, I suppose, many pot supporters haven't gotten around to registering yet.

The issue of medical marijuana is again at the Legislature, and even though 84 percent of Georgians support legalizing a pot-based medication, the bill was immediately watered down. The proposed legislation would give Georgia patients immunity from prosecution if they possessed or transported cannabis oil. But the section of the bill that would have allowed growing marijuana to create the oil (which doesn't have the THC buzz) was dismissed out of hand. Not officially dismissed, but it was sent off to be studied, which is Legislaturese for sending it off to wither and die.

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Allen Peake is a man on a mission. The five-term Republican state representative from Macon is the driving force behind proposed legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Georgia. He may succeed this year after suffering a setback in 2014 when the House and Senate got into a bit of political brinksmanship at the last minute and failed to pass his bill, which had sailed through the House with only four negative votes.

Undaunted, Peake is back again with H.B. 1. He has the support of Gov. Nathan Deal (albeit with a few conditions) and House Speaker David Ralston. And with an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showing 84 percent of Georgians favor passage of medical marijuana legislation, I suspect he has the Senate's attention, as well.

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ALBANY - Neighborhood watch representatives got a basic education on illegal drugs, their effects and where they come from Saturday at the Community Room of the Albany downtown Law Enforcement Center.

The short course delivered by Maj. Bill Berry, of the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit gave eager members of the Community Council of Watch Associations an earful of information on familiar drugs including ecstasy or "Molly," crack cocaine and prescription pain pills.

But they learned about some new threats too, including yaba (a blend of caffeine and methamphetamine), powdered alcohol, synthetic marijuana and even "Krokodil," a drug so devastating it destroys skin and muscle tissue from the inside out.

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State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, is a man on a mission. He is the driving force behind proposed legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Georgia. He may succeed this year, after suffering a setback in 2014 when the House and Senate got into a bit of political brinksmanship at the last minute and failed to pass his bill, which had sailed through the House with only four negative votes.

Peake is back again with House Bill 1. He has the support of Gov. Nathan Deal (albeit with a few conditions) and House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. And with an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showing 84 percent of Georgians favor passage of medical marijuana legislation, I suspect he has the Senate's attention, as well.

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You're not going to see legislators rolling up big fat ones over the next few weeks, but members of the General Assembly will be discussing a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in a state that smokes ribs instead of weed.

The brainchild of State Rep. Allen Peake, a Republican from Macon, House Bill 1 would provide guidelines for growing, producing and selling therapeutic cannabis, an oil extracted from marijuana plants.

Measures are in place in 23 states and, despite the controversy surrounding such legislation, a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows 84 percent of registered voters in Georgia favor its passage.

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A clear majority of Georgia voters support legalizing medical marijuana, but they appear more closely split on whether to permit its recreational use, according to a poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The poll (http://bit.ly/1AGI8hY ) showed 84 percent of registered voters agreed the General Assembly should legalize marijuana-based medication. Lawmakers debated - but did not adopt - legislation last year that would have made cannabis oil legally available for the ill. The oil is harvested from marijuana plants and used to treat people with some seizure disorders.

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ATLANTA -- A proposal from state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, will protect Georgians from state prosecution if they possess certain liquid medical cannabis legally obtained in another state.

It remains a federal offense to transport any marijuana products across state lines. The Georgia bill sponsor, Peake, downplayed the transport risk for Georgia families because of a provision of the federal budget signed in December. The so-called "Cromnibus" bill defunds federal law enforcement operations against medical marijuana operations that comply with state laws.

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Starting about 1988, we, the God-fearing, law and order, peace-loving people of Georgia willingly allowed our state and federal governments to take from us our most closely guarded constitutional right not to be subjected to seizure of our assets without due process of law. It happened without so much as a whimper from any of us.

During this period, the legislature gave the police the right to seize and keep your property over the fear of drugs. The War on Drugs started then, and we have since wasted billions of dollars on this lost effort. We lost the war. This money could have been used to replace every bridge in our state in need of repair or replacement, to build new schools, and to hire and pay teachers rather than furloughing them.

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