Mothers Not Waiting on Further Changes in Cannabis Oil Laws

Civil disobedience is as American as baseball, but the writer Henry David Thoreau could never have imagined what issues would inspire such symbolic acts come the 21st century.

For example, Georgia parents who treat their children with cannabis oil to manage seizures, including several in Hall County and Northeast Georgia, are publicly stating that they are willing to break the law, if necessary, to acquire cannabis oil.

It's the latest fault line in the medical marijuana fight, pitting patients and their families against law enforcement.

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Bill in State Senate Would Expand Conditions, Allow for In-State Production of Drug

Proposals to expand the use, cultivation and distribution of cannabis oil in Georgia are on life support as the state legislature enters its final week of action for 2016.

But families who swear by the effectiveness of the drug know what a lifesaver it can be.

A vote stalled in the Senate on House Bill 722 that would expand the number of conditions that can be treated with cannabis oil, even after plans for in-state manufacturing of the drug were scrapped.

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CHICKAMAUGA - Legislation placing a temporary moratorium on new narcotic treatment centers passed the Georgia House of Representatives, 169-0, and awaits the signature of Gov. Nathan Deal.

The legislation was filed by Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, out of concern over the growing number of centers alongside an increase in heroin addiction.

Georgia is ranked third nationally in the number of narcotic treatment centers, with 63 currently operating within the state. Mullis said heroin use and overdoses in Georgia have skyrocketed in the last five years, a stark contradiction of the large number of treatment centers aimed at reducing addiction rates.

Senate Bill 402 halts new licensing until June 30, 2017. It also creates a state commission to study the licensure process as well as the density of existing narcotic treatment centers within the state.

From catoosawalkernews.com

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The Georgia House on Monday overwhelmingly approved House Bill 722, which would expand the list of ailments that qualify for the state's limited medical marijuana program.

By a vote of 152-8, the House sent state Rep. Allen Peake's bill to the Senate.

Peake, a Macon Republican, said the bill moves the ball forward but falls short of what he had hoped to accomplish this year. HB 722 originally would have created a state-sponsored program to grow, cultivate and manufacture medical marijuana in Georgia, but opposition from law enforcement put an end to that.

Instead, it adds several disorders to the list of diseases that qualifies for the state program. But patients will still have to risk arrest by traveling out of state to obtain the medication.

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The author of legislation aimed at expanding the state's medical marijuana law said he won't continue to push for cultivation in Georgia this year after the bill ran into problems in committee Monday.

The House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee eliminated a provision in House Bill 722 that would have allowed limited cultivation and production of cannabis oil. The bill would also increase the number of diseases for which marijuana could be used.

Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, wasn't happy about the change.

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Dear editor,

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. Addiction is an obsessive compulsive behavior that interferes with everyday life. For an addict to change they must change their people, places and things. Government has become so focused on the war on drugs and forgotten about the ongoing battle of addiction. Probation is not designed to help. We are just another number; another lost cause in the eyes of the state.

Addiction affects everyone whether it is addiction to God or drugs, coffee or exercise, over or under eating. Addiction is an everyday battle. A successful recovering addict must change their people, places and things. Being incarcerated I am forced to form relationships with other addicts, in a place that makes me feel numb, and treated like an object. I am a number, no longer a person with a name.

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GA. Family Stuck in Colorado Over Medicinal Issue.

PEYTON, COLO. - The reason the Olivers are the last of Georgia's medical marijuana refugees in Colorado resides inside a little white bottle that singes your nostrils when it's opened.

Seven-year-old Tripp's medicine carries an overpowering aroma that would not be out of place at a concert or college dorm room because it is a marijuana derivative that can get you high if heated for a period of time. But Tripp does not get high because he takes it at room temperature, swallowing the fragrant olive oil mixture twice a day to forestall the seizures that have plagued him since he was 6 months old.

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State law enforcement officials said Wednesday that any expansion of medical marijuana in Georgia will need extensive regulations to protect patients and to be sure the system isn't exploited.

GBI Director Vernon Keenan and others said if the state makes marijuana broadly available for medical reasons, it should mirror federal pharmaceutical law that requires extensive testing and monitoring of controlled substances.

Keenan and leaders of the state sheriffs' association told members of a special commission studying the issue that doing otherwise will lead to abuse.

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Thousands of Georgians may soon have access to medicine that will treat their diseases or illnesses, ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's. However, state lawmakers must first act to permit the harvesting and distribution, under strict guidelines, of cannabis oil.

Earlier this year, the Georgia Assembly passed House Bill 1, which was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on April 16. This law allows the possession of cannabis oil with up to 5 percent THC, with a doctor's certification, for eight conditions: seizure disorders, cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, mitochondrial disease, Crohn's and sickle cell disease.

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Cannabis Law an Important First Step

I am a clinical gastroenterologist, practicing at Emory Midtown Hospital for 35 years. I am the managing member of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates. We practice throughout the greater Atlanta area and Athens and have about 82 physicians, 30 PAs and nurse practitioners and 550 employees. We treat a large number of patients with Crohn's disease, and the work of the medical cannabis commission is of great importance to me and my colleagues.

There are two issues I would like to address today: Crohn's Disease and the role of medical cannabis as a therapeutic agent in the care of these patients; and the use and regulation of medical cannabis in Georgia.

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I read with interest the article entitled "Rethinking lifetime prison sentences" (News, Aug. 23). The article is written as if the prisoners were the victims. The dealers did not pull the trigger that killed the addicts but, indirectly, they are responsible for their death. Maybe not a physical death, but one that robs them of their productive life.

Eventually, the user will depend on the state and/or their family for their every physical need. The user chose to ingest the drugs and they should bear some of the burden. Many of the users finally figure it out, make a recovery, and become productive. I doubt this is true for dealers; the life is easy, the money is good, no taxes to pay, no up early and off to a real job. I believe the majority of the dealers did not intend to become a dealer, but in order to support their habit they began dealing.

LARRY NEWSOME, FAYETTEVILLE

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Although Georgia House Bill 1 allows medical marijuana for several severe medical conditions, it needs to be emphasized that none of these conditions have been shown to be helped by this approach, except for some instances of nausea and vomiting in people on cancer chemotherapy. I recently reviewed more than 200 articles in the medical literature back to 1950 on the efficacy of marijuana for many severe medical conditions, and found absolutely no evidence in controlled studies for any other documented benefits.

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More Than 130 Register; Doctors Want More Info.

As of Aug. 11, more than 130 patients including 12-year-old Sydney Wages had qualified for Georgia's new medical marijuana registry after its first 50 days.

DALLAS, GA. - Twilight fell on the Wages family's compound, easing the August heat as Jim "J-Bo" Wages gently wrapped his arm around his 12-year-old daughter, Sydney, and kissed her cheek. His message received, J-Bo turned the key to the family four-wheeler and it roared to life. A smile fluttered across his daughter's face, and they raced across the yard. CURTIS COMPTON / AJC Lisa Wages helps her daughter, Sydney, down the steps of their home for a family outing recently in Dallas, Ga. The Wages were among the very first to receive permission from the state to use low-dose cannabis oil without fear of prosecution.

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A federal grand jury has indicted a Habersham County deputy sheriff on charges of falsifying information to obtain and execute a "no-knock" search warrant for drugs last year that employed the use of a flash grenade and seriously injured a young child.

Nikki Autry, 29, of Clarkesville, a former special agent of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Criminal Investigation and Suppression Team, will be arraigned this week on charges of civil rights violations related to unreasonable searches and seizures and arrest without probable cause.

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I think it is appalling that state Rep. Alex Atwood views House Bill 233, the Georgia Uniform Civil Forfeiture Procedure Act, as the best Georgia's elected leadership can do for its citizens ("Civil forfeiture reform at last," Opinion, July 17). Is a uniform report that state agencies must complete really the only step forward? If so, that is pathetic. What Rep. Atwood's piece did not say was Georgia sheriffs are exempt from efforts to rein in their abuses.

Since only state law enforcement agencies are bound by the new law, not sheriffs, the forced removal of personal property on the side of the road from the whim of a Georgia sheriff will continue. This is why the Georgia Sheriff's Association allowed this bill to pass while defeating all other bills that might have made a real difference. As a Georgia taxpaying citizen and past police officer, I view the Sheriff's Association as extremely bad actors and am truly disappointed no one at the Georgia Legislature could pass real reform.

PATTY DURAND, ATLANTA

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ATLANTA (AP) - A former Georgia deputy sheriff was indicted Wednesday on federal charges for her role in setting up a "no-knock" drug raid that severely injured a toddler when a flash grenade detonated in his playpen.

Former Habersham County Deputy Nikki Autry, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of providing false information in a search warrant affidavit, Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn said. Autry also is charged with providing false information to obtain an arrest warrant.

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Toddler's Mom Relieved Charges Have Been Filed.

The mother of a toddler severely injured by a flash bang grenade expressed relief Thursday that federal civil rights charges were filed against a Habersham County sheriff 's deputy involved in the botched drug raid.

"This is a good start towards justice," said Alecia Phonesavanh, whose son, Bounkham "Bou Bou" Phonesavanh, then 19 months old, sustained severe injuries to his face and chest, along with possible brain damage, after a stun grenade landed in his playpen during the May 2014 raid.

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ATLANTA (AP) - A former Georgia deputy sheriff was indicted Wednesday on federal charges for her role in setting up a "no-knock" drug raid that severely injured a toddler when a flash grenade detonated in his playpen.

Former Habersham County Deputy Nikki Autry, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of providing false information in a search warrant affidavit, Acting U. S. Attorney John Horn said. Autry also is charged with providing false information to obtain an arrest warrant.

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Charlie Horace Scandrett Jr. was a free man Tuesday after serving 18 years of a 30-year sentence on a drug conviction, a punishment a Clayton County judge said was "just not right."

"I'm going to do today what probably should have been done a long time ago," said Superior Court Judge Matthew O. Simmons as the Scandrett's father and sister wept during a hearing."Today he can go home to his family."

Scandrett could have been out within five years but the state-court judge who was filling in for Simmons the day he was convicted in 1997 gave him the maximum sentence possible under the recidivist laws at the time, said Patrick Mulvaney, a lawyer for the Southern Center for Human Rights.

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6 things to know now that medical marijuana is legal in Georgia

Senate to propose new medical marijuana plan Georgia State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon shows a bottle of medical cannabis oil as he presents his House Bill 1 on Feb. 3, 2015. BRANT SANDERLIN / BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM

1. House Bill 1 took effect immediately on Thursday, and makes it legal for people in Georgia who suffer from eight illnesses to possess up to 20 ounces of cannabis oil if a physician signs off.

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