A federal jury awarded more than $2.3 million Thursday afternoon to the family of a Toccoa pastor shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy. Jonathan Ayers, 28, was shot Sept. 1, 2009, in the parking lot of a Toccoa convenience store after inadvertently stepping into an undercover drug investigation. Ayers was the minister at Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia at the time of his death. In December 2009, a grand jury decided the shooting was justified. Then in March 2010, Ayers' widow, Abigail Ayers, filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging excessive use of deadly force, assault, battery and false arrest against Deputy Billy Shane Harrison. [continues 112 words]
On weekday mornings, when most Columbus residents are just starting their day, hundreds of Muscogee County Prison inmates are already on the job. In shifts starting as early as 6:30 a.m., they are dispersed throughout the city to collect trash, clean city buildings, dig ditches, maintain roadways and work at locations such as golf courses, the animal shelter and the recycling center. The program, now the largest county prison work camp in Georgia, has existed for more than 135 years, according to the Muscogee County Prison website. It saves the city between $17 million and $20 million annually, officials said. Local entities also benefit from funds the program receives from the state. [continues 2509 words]
State lawmakers are currently debating an update to the state's long-dormant "medical marijuana" law to make cannabis oil available to children suffering from epilepsy and other conditions. But Paul Cornwell, a longtime marijuana activist and founder of the Great Atlanta Pot Festival, argues that what's happening under the Gold Dome doesn't involve "medical marijuana" at all - and could set back the actual movement to make the plant widely available. Cornwell is the national coordinator of the Coalition for the Abolition of Marijuana Prohibition, or CAMP. [continues 1114 words]
Reference to "Hearings begin on marijuana." I can only speak for myself like any parent or person having very ill family members. I would try anything to help before taking unauthorized medication. Therefore, if we legalize medical marijuana in one state it should be legalized in all, tested and approved by FDA, prescribed doses by doctors and processed through pharmacies. However, strict laws should be passed to protect against suing doctors and pharmacies if misused by recipients and patients become addicted and/or overdose. Further, maybe some stipulations as to the amounts kept on hand by pharmacies needs guarded procedures as to potential break-ins and/or thefts. - -- Faye W. Tanner Macon [end]
There are many Americans against the legalization of marijuana and other drugs. Heroin had a big spotlight in the news recently after the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I understand why people want drugs illegal. People say its about "what's best for society." Sounds noble, but there's a big fact that's apparently not realized: Making drugs illegal does little to control the supply or the consumption. The war on drugs is pointless, and it costs us a ton of money. [continues 284 words]
Its Marijuana Laws Were Only "Getting Tougher." In Louisiana (my home state), I wasn't surprised that the editor of LaPolitics, Joe Maginnis, observed that Louisiana "is not a culture of where marijuana is accepted." True dat. Harsher penalties were being introduced in 2010 there, too. Except that today, the reverse is true. Last month, the Florida Supreme Court approved the language for a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana three days before citizens gathered enough signatures to place it on the November ballot. And NORML, a group working to reform marijuana laws, reports an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) poll found that 53 percent of Louisianans favor legalizing recreational marijuana. Support for legalizing marijuana "is blooming in the South," it said. [continues 549 words]
First, Georgia is not legalizing medical marijuana, just one small part of it for use in a very limited study that is now not operating. This study hasn't been staffed or used in over 20 years. If they allow cannabidiol to be included in this study, it would mean almost nothing. We all know this would take a very long time, more than likely years. Then the restrictions to get into the study would be very strict and difficult. That would mean a very small number of people who need the help could get it. But the biggest problem is that only one grower in Colorado extracts the cannabidiol oil and cannot ship or sell outside the state of Colorado. That means that all of this hubbub is just some politician making a name for himself. - -- Shane Walker Warner Robins [end]
Until about five weeks ago, state Rep. Allen Peake was like most politicians: He didn't want to go near any legislation that used the words "legalization" and "marijuana" in the same sentence. Then he met Haleigh Cox, a 4-year-old Forsyth girl who suffers dozens of seizures a day and who could be helped by a compound extracted from cannabis to control those seizures. "Meeting Haleigh and the Cox family was the turning point for me," Peake said. "Before that, I wouldn't have touched this issue with a 10-foot pole." [continues 1443 words]
The Obama administration continues its efforts to legitimize marijuana with new rules allowing banking institutions to finance and do business with legal marijuana sellers - even as medical experts urge scientific studies of the effectiveness and safety of marijuana for medical uses. The latest pot-favoring move follows the decision by the Obama administration in August to not prosecute legal dealers who met eight requirements, including not selling to minors - even though marijuana was and still is illegal under federal law. Under the Friday rules issued by Obama's Treasury Department, "the administration went a step further by laying out a path for banks to bring marijuana commerce out of the shadows and into the mainstream financial system ... a move that could further legitimize the burgeoning industry," the Washington Post said. [continues 386 words]
By the time my 5-year-old daughter leaves for college, it's quite likely that marijuana use will be broadly decriminalized. Alaska has become the most recent state to move toward legalization, placing an initiative on the ballot for an August vote. If it passes, Alaska would join Washington and Colorado, which have already made recreational use legal for adults. The trend will probably continue, since 52 percent of Americans support legalization, according to the Pew Research Center. That's good news - and not because I want my daughter to indulge. [continues 622 words]
ATLANTA -- In front of a packed room at the Georgia Capitol, Monroe County mother Janea Cox pleaded for her daughter's life at the first hearing on a new medical marijuana proposal. "I'm going to lose my child if this drug is not approved," said Cox, whose daughter Haleigh is the inspiration and namesake for House Bill 885, by state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon. "We're going to break up my family," a tearful Cox said while her child was a few miles away at Children's Hospital of Atlanta at Egleston, where she has been for more than 50 days since a severe attack that caused her to stop breathing for several minutes. [continues 639 words]
ATLANTA - The sponsor of a medical marijuana bill said Monday after a three-hour legislative hearing that the proposal must get significant revisions before it can move forward in the Georgia General Assembly. State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, said he was unsure of the specific changes needed to House Bill 885 that would give Georgia children, who have no other treatment options, the opportunity to receive therapeutic cannabidiol to treat their seizures. Peake's efforts, though, drew support from the vast majority of people who packed the hearing room, including parents who tearfully testified their children suffer multiple seizures a day. [continues 369 words]
I remember watching a made-for-television movie in 1973 that changed my life. Not that I had much of it to change at the age of 11. Still, it grabbed me by the throat in the way that only a poorly filmed, terminally earnest public-service announcement ever could. "Go Ask Alice" was based on the book that every parent wanted every adolescent to read, and is still a necessary part of growing up. Some people think it's too simplistic, something along the lines of a Nancy Reagan "just say no to the bad drugs" riff. [continues 536 words]
In the South, Support Grows for Legalizing a Derivative of Pot to Treat Sick Children ATLANTA (AP) - Medical marijuana has been a nonstarter in recent years in the Deep South, where many Republican lawmakers feared it could lead to widespread drug use and social ills. That now appears to be changing, with proposals to allow a form of medical marijuana gaining momentum in a handful of Southern states. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this year powerful GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Alabama are putting their weight behind bills that would allow for limited use of cannabis oil by those with specific medical conditions. Other Southern states are also weighing the issue with varying levels of support. [continues 645 words]
Bill Would OK Oil That Blocks Kids' Seizures. 'It's Not Getting Him High, It's Just Getting Him Well,' Dad Testifies. Two years ago, Paige Figi's daughter Charlotte suffered hundreds of seizures a day. Prescription drugs did nothing but provide severe side effects. Now, Charlotte is 99.8 percent seizure-free, Figi said, thanks to one simple thing: medical marijuana. Figi, a Colorado mother and activist, told Georgia legislators Monday that Rep. Allen Peake's plan to legalize a single compound derived from marijuana will save the lives of patients suffering from certain seizure disorders. [continues 537 words]
Marijuana has long been known for its anti-nausea, appetite-stimulating effects, which in part has led 20 states to allow its medical use. In some chronic users, however, it can have an opposite effect and cause constant vomiting and abdominal pain, and the number of people affected appears to be growing in Augusta, says an emergency medicine physician at Georgia Regents University. States that have decriminalized it also have a much higher rate of accidental ingestion by children, who then get sick, a recent study found. [continues 858 words]
Legislation that would allow limited use of medicine derived from marijuana will get its first public hearing Monday. The House Health and Human Services Committee will hear testimony on House Bill 885. Sponsored by Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, the bill would create a complex system that would ultimately allow access to cannabis oil to patients who suffer from certain types of seizures. The oil has shown to be effective in easing certain seizure disorders. The bill has proven both controversial and emotional. Many of the patients who could benefit are young children. Peake, who calls himself an unlikely sponsor of the bill, became convinced there is an urgent need for the bill after meeting one young seizure sufferer in Macon. The hearing begins at 3 p.m. in Room 606 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, across the street from the Capitol. [end]
Regarding your thoughtful Feb. 2 editorial, while there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical marijuana is a quality of life decision best left to patients and their doctors. Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not be dictating health care decisions. It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their patients; sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek relief from marijuana. Robert Sharpe Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
When the straight and narrow gets a little too straight, Roll up a joint ... or don't. Just follow your arrow wherever it points. - - Kacey Musgraves A Republican Macon lawmaker is attempting what many in these parts say is the unthinkable: Rep. Allen Peake has prepared a bill that would allow for the legalization of medical marijuana in Georgia. Opponents have already started lining up their "damn hippies" defense, and proponents of legalization of pot in general have started waving their freak flags and saying the bill doesn't go far enough. [continues 656 words]
The idea of legalizing marijuana oil and not allowing the weed to go to a multiple of desperately needy Georgians with cancer and countless other maladies causing extreme pain and suffering are wasting the legislative process. Yes, the oil is favorable to morphine and other drugs but weed by prescription is critical, too. Way back when my friend Doug had cancer, I watched him suffer and weed would have helped. Just today it was announced low level pushers are to be released from prison. If you study the damage done by alcoholic beverages versus weed, legalizing it would create jobs, reduce prison head count, produce hundreds of billions in tax revenue and make life easier for millions. - -- Joe Hubbard Macon [end]
ATLANTA -- If medical marijuana is going to win legalization in Georgia, there are still hurdles to clear, state Rep. Allen Peake said Monday, fresh from a trip to Colorado. Among them: There's a waiting list for a key extract, and for now importing cannabis compounds to Georgia is not possible. Peake, R-Macon, made the observations after visiting Georgia families who have taken severely ill children to Colorado for medical marijuana, as well as the facility where an anti-seizure medicine called Charlotte's Web is made. [continues 433 words]
I am delighted with Rep. Allen Peake's medical marijuana bill in our state House of Representatives. I have had Crohn's disease for over 50 years and my condition can only get worse. My use of medical marijuana would more than likely make me feel so much better. State Rep. James Beverly's early opposition to Peake's bill for minor, bureaucratic reasons shows us why his state party is in the minority and is out-of-touch with reality. - -- Frank W. Gadbois Warner Robins [end]
Blurry pot laws Respected Georgia state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, made a noticeable impact in Georgia's legislative session by switching his tune on medical marijuana. Last Tuesday, Peake unexpectedly joined more than 85 House members in co-filing a legalization bill in Georgia's General Assembly known as Haleigh's Hope Act, which is House Bill 855. Why would Peake switch? He was touched in part by Haleigh Cox, a 4-year-old girl from Forsyth. Haleigh is severely afflicted by drug-resistant seizures and related maladies. Her parents hope medical marijuana can give her welcome relief. There's some reason to think it might. [continues 615 words]
More than 30 years ago, Georgia lawmakers legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes for those with glaucoma and cancer. But the board created to oversee that program has been inactive for some two decades and no patients have taken part in the program for even longer. What happened? Simply put, the program was too restrictive, too regulated and too poorly thought out. That is, if its purpose was actually to deliver relief to patients. The program counted on getting access to medical marijuana from the federal government, which never delivered. The program set up all sorts of hurdles and tests for patients to qualify for treatment, rather than just allowing their physicians to determine whether marijuana might help them and prescribe it if they thought best. [continues 324 words]
Local Family Could Be Helped by Medical Marijuana Bill Three-month-old Kason Jiles of Lithia Springs has spent two-thirds of his short life at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Kason has a Ohtahara syndrome, a neurological disease characterized by seizures that can number from 10 to 75 a day, his father Jonathan Jiles said. The disease is severely progressive, with some who have it dying in infancy and others surviving with profound handicaps, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. [continues 640 words]
Highly motivated people are energetic and dynamic. Creativity and productivity are the outgrowth of motivation. Highly motivated people break down barriers, they overcome obstacles, they do the impossible. Our president recently said marijuana is no worse than alcohol. Studies released since his statement show he is wrong. However, leprosy is no worse that cancer. Is good or bad, right or wrong simply a matter of comparison? In an unscientific way, Satchel Page, the legendary baseball pitcher, may have explained a lack of motivation. He opined, "You gotta get the juices jangling." He likely never heard the word "dopamine," but research now shows it is a "juice" essential to the brain of motivated people. [continues 445 words]
Speaking as a retired detective, I know that every teen in Georgia has a job option to sell marijuana. Nationwide, nearly a million teens are employed in selling drugs and they carry guns. Every day kids are shot and shot dead because of their "employment." Moreover, pedophiles are not caught as often as possible, since detectives and narcotics officers spend tens of thousands of hours searching and arresting over a green plant. I agree with Bernard K. Logan (letter to the editor, Jan. 26) that marijuana is no play toy. It should be given the same rules and respect as beer. We are a thin blue line, Mr. Logan. Do we protect our teens from pedophiles or go after adults using marijuana? Albany [end]
For the past four months, Sarah Callaway has had to watch as her daughter Greylynn's body has been wracked by uncontrollable spasms several times a day. "They don't hurt her. But they scare her, and she cries. And you can't do anything for her except comfort her," said Callaway, a Chatsworth resident. "That's the most frustrating part. I just say to her, 'I'm sorry I can't do anything for you. I'm sorry.'" When Greylynn was born six months ago, doctors diagnosed her with a brain malformation and gave her only weeks to live. She survived, but her condition has left her with a form of epilepsy called infantile spasms. She's currently on two different anti-seizure medications, one of which could possibly leave her blind. But they only control the spasms. They don't stop them. [continues 1101 words]
I'm writing about Chuck Fore's not-so-thoughtful letter: "Headed for doom" (1-24). The cannabis legalization issue is not whether cannabis is completely safe for everybody, including children and adolescents. It is not. The issue is freedom of choice for adults. Children have died from eating peanuts and peanut butter, but we don't cage peanut growers, sellers or consumers. And the voters of Colorado and Washington state have decided that we should not cage cannabis growers, sellers or consumers. I submit that all adults should have the same freedom of choice that they have in Colorado and Washington. - -- Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
You've seen the magazine ad: "You can save this child, or you can turn the page." And the TV spots with the caged, abused puppies: "The situation is urgent, so we're asking you to join in the next 10 minutes." State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, has drafted the legislative equivalent - a bill that will brook no delay, lest you be overwhelmed with guilt. Peake wants medical marijuana made legal in Georgia within the next several weeks. Not a blue-ribbon panel. Not a study commission, as has been pitched by state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus. [continues 885 words]
ATLANTA (AP) - An effort to bring medical marijuana to Georgia under certain circumstances gained momentum Tuesday, as more than 80 lawmakers signed on to sponsor a bill introduced by a member of the Republican House leadership. In introducing the bill, Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, was joined by parents of children suffering from medical conditions who say the use of cannabis oil could ease their children's symptoms and improve their quality of life. "It will be a monumental task to get this bill done," said Peake, who serves as secretary/treasurer for the House Majority Caucus. "But if we can do it this session, for these parents and these kids, it will be worth every ounce of political influence I have to get it done." [continues 540 words]
ATLANTA -- Georgia is getting serious about medical marijuana with the filing of a bill Tuesday by state Rep. Allen Peake. The eight-page document he placed in the state House's inbox would open the way for doctors at academic research centers to recommend an oil derived from cannabis to treat acute epilepsy. "I feel very comfortable we will have a hearing, maybe several hearings," said Peake, R-Macon, just after filing what's now House Bill 885. It would work by amending an old law that allows medical marijuana research for glaucoma and cancer. (It also cuts the word "marijuana" throughout and replaces it with "cannabis.") [continues 488 words]
Nobody at the Capitol was talking about the legalization of marijuana this time last year, but suddenly it's become a leading topic of discussion in the General Assembly. Legislation is pending in the Senate and will soon be introduced in the House that would either create a study committee or authorize the use of marijuana derivatives for specific medical purposes, such as treating seizure disorders in children. Recent polls have shown that a majority of Georgians would support legalizing the restricted medical use of marijuana. One of the most powerful figures in the legislature, House Speaker David Ralston, said he is not opposed to at least considering the idea. [continues 537 words]
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." [continues 803 words]
The legalization of marijuana is being debated in our state now. This is a shame, because it has been shown that marijuana adversely affects mental ability and may cause psychosis to appear in those who are predisposed. Marijuana is also a gateway drug to more destructive drugs. If marijuana is legalized, America will be speedily heading to low class status and probably to a quick end. Along with abortion and the destruction of the traditional family, America will decline. America has rejected Jesus and his word, the Bible. Jesus will reject America. The many blessings of children, prosperity, and bounty will cease. when we reject Jesus. - -- Chuck Fore Eastman [end]
Dear Editor of The George Anne, Georgia may not become the next state to RE-legalize cannabis (marijuana) but your day is coming (Pot's Hazy Future In Georgia, Jan. 16, 2014) because a sane or moral argument to continue caging responsible adults for using the plant simply doesn't exist. Another reason to end cannabis prohibition that doesn't get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since God created all the seed bearing plants saying they're all good on literally the very 1st page of the Bible. Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
ATLANTA -- A bill that could legalize the use of medical marijuana in Georgia for the treatment of epilepsy is scheduled for filing at the state Capitol Tuesday. The bill, by state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, would allow the parents of young epilepsy patients to apply to one of a handful of academic medical centers to get an oil derived from cannabis that could greatly reduce their number of seizures. Some children can have more than 100 brain-stopping seizures a day. [continues 614 words]
An online survey distributed by state Rep. Allen Peake suggests there is widespread support for medical marijuana in Bibb County and in the state. Peake, R-Macon, received more than 2,000 responses so far, with 89 percent of responders claiming to be from Georgia and 21 percent specifically from Macon and Bibb County. Of those completing the survey, 95 percent support legalizing marijuana for limited medicinal use and 73 percent support full decriminalization for recreational use, Peake said. "I've done several surveys over the years, and this is by leaps and bounds the most responses I've ever gotten," he said by phone Friday. [continues 333 words]
Our president gives an interview to the New Yorker magazine and states that he has no problem with pot as it is just a vice, similar to cigarettes and no worse than alcohol. He reaffirms the strength of his position by stating that no, he would not desire that his daughters partake. Hmmm. Good for all the other folk, just not his. Here is the leader (from behind) of the not-so-free (anymore) world and he apparently is spouting his personal opinion, as any responsible doctor will tell you that pot is harmful, that cigarettes will kill you and that prolonged usage of alcohol has debilitating negative effects. [continues 293 words]
Since Colorado and Washington recently made headlines by allowing the legal consumption of marijuana, some advocates say Georgia voters are ready for the idea. State affiliates of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws released a statewide poll last week that showed 62 percent of Georgia voters endorse eliminating criminal penalties for less than one ounce of marijuana. "The citizens of Georgia agree, marijuana prohibition is a wasteful and destructive policy. It is time for our state to catch up with public opinion and find a more sensible solution to the status quo," said Sharon Ravert, of Peachtree NORML. [continues 128 words]
While I am reluctant to advocate for expanding availability of another mind-altering drug into society, it appears the drums are beating to make marijuana available as a prescription drug. I think this would be a mistake. I agree with Drs. J.C. Smith and Thomas Frieden that "physicians have supplanted street corner drug pushers as the most important suppliers of illicit narcotics." Rather than adding marijuana to the list of drugs dispensed by doctors that can have legitimate medical uses but which will also be abused and redistributed, perhaps we should ask whether it is time simply to legalize marijuana. [continues 117 words]
The headline from a recent survey of Georgia voters by North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling, as two of this state's chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws have hastened to point out, is that "62 percent of Georgia voters endorse eliminating criminal penalties for possession by adults of less than an ounce of pot, and replace it with a $100 civil fine." That headline, though, is not necessarily the most interesting take-away from the Jan. 6-7 PPP survey - politically speaking, at least. Before we go any further, though, let me acknowledge that, yes, Public Policy Polling is a liberal-leaning pollster, and that, yes, the survey we're talking about was commissioned by Georgia NORML and Peachtree NORML. Both of those factors might be properly understood to shade the published outcomes of the survey. [continues 529 words]
Georgia may be the next state to legalize medical marijuana. So far, there are twenty states plus the District of Colombia that have voted to allow the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Senator Josh McKoon recently proposed a bill that legalizes medical marijuana in Georgia. State Representative Allen Peake was approached by a constituent whose child has up to seventy seizures a day. He was touched by the story and believes that marijuana may help alleviate the pain of this adolescent and of children throughout Georgia who battle a similar condition. [continues 172 words]
The laws on the use of medical marijuana in Georgia have been in place since the 1980s, but they may be changing. Georgia legislators are looking into the possibility of legalizing medical marijuana. House of Representatives member Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, suggested looking into the laws that limit the use of marijuana to glaucoma and cancer treatment to see if they should be expanded. He filed senate resolution 756 recommending the creation of the senate Prescription of Medicinal Marijuana for Serious Medical Conditions Study Committee on Jan. 17 based on ideas including that new technologies afford more control over the substance as well as studies that suggest a medical benefit. [continues 137 words]
For Oakwood mother of five Sarah Caruso, it's hard to understand why a possible treatment for her daughter's seizures is illegal. "For us it seems like a no-brainer because it's something proven to work for the issues that my child has. Why wouldn't that be legal?" she said. That treatment is medical marijuana. Parents and advocates of allowing medical exceptions to use of the substance, which is illegal in all forms by federal and state law, are raising their voices this legislative session. [continues 534 words]
It is disappointing, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly (Religious leader cites medical pot benefits, Jan. 18) is publicly speaking about cannabis (marijuana) as though the table of the Lord is defiled and the table of the Lord is to be despised. Cannabis prohibition is a tool used by the devil to separate people from utilizing the communication system, which Christ Jesus taught about, known as the "spirit of truth." It's available to those who love one another, and we cannot love someone and cage or punish them for using what God says is good on the very first page of the Bible. [continues 108 words]
As Georgia lawmakers head back to the state Capitol today after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, they face a growing public movement for medical marijuana legislation. Today legislators will be greeted on the Capitol steps by representatives of the Peachtree Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The group will be delivering 5,000 signed petitions to Gov. Deal supporting the end of marijuana prohibition and holding a 1 p.m. media conference to announce results of a public opinion poll on marijuana laws. [continues 654 words]
A few lawmakers under the Gold Dome have started buzzing about bringing medical marijuana to Georgia. State Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) picked up an idea sparked by CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary about marijuana's applications for patients who find no relief from available pharmaceuticals. "Children with certain seizure disorders who really have been unable to find any relief with any of the traditional medical remedies available to them... [are] receiving a lot of relief from this oil that can be derived from marijuana," McKoon told the website ZPolitics. Because some Georgia residents can't get the medicine they need, they're moving to Colorado, he added. [continues 637 words]
State Rep. Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville) is a self described "conservative Christian Republican." But Gravley now finds himself in line with other Republicans around the state in supporting limited use of medicinal marijuana after several families have come forward showing how a certain form of the drug can be used to treat children with things like severe epileptic seizures. Gravley plans to co-sponsor a bill expected to be introduced in the state House by Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) that would legalize cannabis oil for medical purposes. The oil is typically administered in a pill or using an eye dropper. [continues 685 words]
Confessions of young tokers who did inhale WASHINGTON - Everybody's doing it - confessing their youthful, pot-smoking ways - so here goes. I don't remember. Kidding, kidding. Anyone over 30 recognizes the old adage: If you remember the '60s, you weren't there. Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk. It is true that marijuana smoking tends to affect one's short-term memory, but the good news is that, while stoned, one does relatively little worth remembering. At least that's my own recollection. [continues 717 words]
Inside Georgia
