By State Representative Allen Peake (R-Macon)
(657 words)
On Wednesday of this week, 157 of my House colleagues joined me in voting in support of HB 1, Haleigh’s Hope Act, the medical cannabis oil bill.
This bill will allow immunity for possession of cannabis oil with a maximum amount of 5% THC for nine qualifying conditions – cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, seizure disorders, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Mitochondrial disease, Fibromyalgia, and Sickle Cell disease. Individuals with these qualifying conditions will be immune from prosecution once obtaining a registration card from the Georgia Department of Public Health ONLY upon a recommendation from their physician. This provision was included to keep the doctor-patient relationship at the core of any decision related to accessing cannabis oil. We also addressed some of the law enforcement concerns in HB 1 by only allowing a maximum amount of 20 ounces; possession above that amount will be a felony, with a minimum one-year jail term.
The bill also creates the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis to make a recommendation to the Governor and the General Assembly by December of 2015 of what is the best regulatory infrastructure for creation of in-state growth/distribution model for medical cannabis in Georgia. This commission will be made up of medical professionals, law enforcement, Department of Agriculture leadership, pharmacists, and the head of GA’s Drug and Narcotics agency, among others.
Even if HB 1 ultimately gains the signature of Governor Deal, and I believe he would sign the bill in its current form, there will still be hurdles and obstacles to overcome to gain access to cannabis oil for our citizens. We are working diligently on solutions to overcome those obstacles, and I believe we have some viable alternatives. But until we have an in-state growth/processing/distribution model, these obstacles will remain a barrier to access.
Many critics have warned about the potential abuse from passing this law. And sure, there is the possibility of that happening with any bill we pass, but I would counter that by saying that individuals who wish to abuse marijuana are not going to travel to another state and risk arrest by violating federal law by bringing low THC oil back to Georgia. They will go to any street corner in any city in our state and purchase weed that is 15-20% THC and can be smoked! The argument that this bill should not pass because of the fear of potential abuse ignores the significant positive impact that the passage of this bill will have on the quality of life for thousands of Georgia citizens.
I would like to say thank you to Chairman Rich Golick for his wise counsel and guidance in perfecting this bill over the last 2-3 weeks, to Speaker David Ralston for making this issue a priority on behalf of Georgia families, and finally to a group of parents who have fought this fight for the last year for their kids who suffer from seizures – they have showed me what true courage is as they endure challenges every day that most of us cannot even imagine.
To the citizens of this state, I believe with strong conviction that passage of this bill is not an indication of a slippery slope, as many argue, but instead a confirmation of our compassionate reach by the Georgia House of Representatives, and by Governor Nathan Deal’s support for this initiative. Now that the House has overwhelmingly voted to pass HB 1, I encourage the Senate to join us in this confirmation by passing this bill quickly, keeping all the medical conditions in the bill, and sending it to Governor Deal so we can start the process of bringing our medical refugees back home.
We owe our citizens our united support and compassion to give them access to medicine that can bring relief from pain, and hope for the future.
For more information, you can visit www.georgiashope.com, or visit my Facebook page at State Representative Allen Peake.
Representative Allen Peake represents the citizens of District 141, which includes portions of Bibb and Monroe counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2006, and currently serves as the Secretary and Treasurer of the House Majority Caucus, the Vice Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, and the Ex-Officio of the Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the Health & Human Services, Rules, and Small Business Development committees.
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