By Noelle Skodzinski
Last year, a medical marijuana bill (House Bill 885) put forth in Georgia failed to pass. "The bill unanimously passed the Senate in March. Then, it passed the House 171 to 4, but only after the addition of a separate mandate, requiring health insurance policies to cover the care of kids with autism," reported 13WMAZ. "But time ran out and that amended bill never made it back to the Senate floor for approval."
Now, the bill is getting another chance. "On January 12, state legislators will meet again and say 'yes' or 'no' to the bills that could become law," reports 13WMAZ.
The Senate had amended the original House Bill 885 before passing it. Changes included the elimination of a "provision … allowing academic medical centers to grow marijuana and manufacture the non-smoking derivatives," reported OnlineAthens. The revised bill was reportedly designed to make it easier for Georgia patients "to gain access cannabidiol (CBD) oil, the non-psychoactive derivative of marijuana."
The amended bill would allow Georgians to purchase CBD oil from other states that have legalized medical marijuana or CBD oil use. "Under the Senate committee version of the bill, children with seizures or patients with cancer or glaucoma could use CBD or other marijuana derivatives as soon as they were able to secure them from outside Georgia. And patients could take them directly without supervision by a Georgia physician or an academic medical center," reported OnlineAthens. Concerns over the risk of interstate drug trafficking crackdowns were not addressed.
