by Alison L. McConnell
Governor Nathan Deal appears to have squelched efforts to make cannabidiol (CBD) extract available for Georgia patients this year.
Two bills that would have legalized CBD, the non-psychoactive compound in cannabis that's been shown to reduce seizures, have died in the gears of the state legislature. A closed-door agreement made in early January between Deal and cannabis advocate Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) would protect Georgia residents who smuggle CBD oil in from other states–a move that legalization advocates say only ties their hands.
Peake last year sponsored House Bill 885, which would have made it legal to produce and sell CBD oil for use by children with seizure disorders. As the state legislature's general session wound down, an unrelated autism provision was added to the bill, and it expired with the session.
Peake crafted a similar bill, HB 1, for the 2015 legislative calendar. It was to go before the Georgia House on Jan. 12, but Peake and Governor Deal announced Jan. 9 that HB 1 would be scrapped in favor of legislation providing legal "immunity" for Georgia residents who bring CBD oils in from other states.
The immunity legislation has not yet been formally introduced. Legalization advocates say the proposal is all but pointless, since it requires Georgia residents to illegally transport a controlled substance across state lines. Colorado also requires CBD oil purchasers to sign a document that states they will not bring the extract out of state.
CBD is one of the 85 compounds in the cannabis plant. It is considered "non-psychoactive" because it does not produce the same "high" as THC, another major marijuana compound. Studies have shown that CBD has a clinically significant relaxation effect on patients who experience seizures, nausea, inflammation and other symptoms.
Governor Deal has said he wants additional state studies done on the benefits of CBD oil. One such study has recently begun, but his immunity measure isn't likely to be proposed until the study's completion.
As the legislative wheels turn, several dozen Georgia families have moved to Colorado and California to access CBD oil legally, according to state news sources.
Five states that border Georgia have limited CBD oil programs in place or in progress, but their laws have not necessarily provided for sales to out-of-state patients. North Carolina and South Carolina allow only epilepsy patients to use CBD oil. Alabama and Tennessee only allow use in conjunction with mutliple-year academic studies at in-state universities. Florida's CBD program is not yet up and running.
Georgia's legislature could at some point consider a much wider medical marijuana bill introduced late last year by Curt Thompson (D-Norcross), but the measure isn't likely to get traction. Senate Bill 7 would allow possession of up to two ounces of marijuana by patients suffering from certain conditions, including chronic pain, seizures, cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis-C, ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. It also would establish permissions for doctors to prescribe marijuana for those conditions, as well as for dispensing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Thompson also has proposed a state constitutional amendment that would legalize marijuana in Georgia. Senate Resolution 6 would allow individuals over age 21 to grow marijuana and sell it at licensed retail establishments, with tax revenue from the industry directed at state education and transportation needs.