This is actually a harder than you might imagine. Usually it is fairly simple to go to the Georgia House or Senate websites and pull up bills. But finding HB-1 which is also know as Haleigh’s Hope Act proved to be a far more daunting task than you might have imagined. All that was available was a copy of the 1980 law with lines through it. But fear not fellow watchdogs, we managed to find a copy. I cannot be sure how old this particular version is but it is the only real copy I could find. A few days ago I reported Georgia Cannabis Bill HB-1 Revised to 3% THC and Eight Conditions Removed so keep that in mind as you look at the copy I found.
HB-1 is not a true medical marijuana bill like you would find in most other states. This is still the south and a very red GOP state. HB-1 is only for a type of oil and not for the plant, patches, edibles, or any other delivery methods. Remember also that Nathan Deal had already demanded in-state growing not be allowed.
If you are wondering who is opposing this bill and causing all these delays, there is a large cabal of people that include Nathan Deal, drug dealers and drug cartels, Big Pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyist, social ultra-conservatives who have as much knowledge about medical marijuana as Mr. Macke from Southpark and thinks “Drugs are bad M’kay”. Even though marijuana is not an actual drug but a medicine and far safer than alcohol and nearly all prescription medicine. No one has ever died from smoking too much pot. How many die every hour from prescription overdoses or from drunk driving?
The people of Georgia will not have a chance in hell of changing the minds of those anti-medical marijuana allies listed above. They either have strong financial incentives or are so stubborn that inconvenient facts and logic that defy their “truthiness” of the universe falls on deaf ears.
But there are two powerful opponents that can be reasoned with for the simple fact that they are elected officials and we have some leverage. This includes the Georgia Sheriffs and the Georgia District Attorneys. The reason these two groups oppose loosening medical marijuana laws is mainly because they would lose more leverage to seize assets from people. Read more at Policing for Profit
Another reason they are opposed is that they know if they can no longer shake down people who may have a joint in their pocket there would likely be fewer arrests and therefore smaller budgets. They are fighting tooth and nail to keep all their abusive police powers and inflated budgets and view medical marijuana as something that will weaken their position. They are probably right and that is a very good thing. We need our police to devote more time to serious and violent crimes not to minor drug arrest offenses. Medical marijuana would not only help sick people in need but likely make our towns and cities even safer.
But it is important to note that HB-1 will not legalize recreational marijuana. In fact, it won’t even really legalize true medical marijuana since this is only for an oil form that will not get people high. It is a baby step, a really tiny baby step in fact, but it will at least begin our journey towards sanity in our laws in Georgia.
Contact your local Sheriff and your local District Attorney and ask them what is their position on the original HB-1 bill which included in-state growing, 5% THC and 16 medical conditions that include Severe pain or nausea from cancer treatment, Glaucoma, AIDS, ALS, Seizure disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Chron’s Disease, Mitochondrial disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Muscle spasticity disorder, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, Autism, Sickle cell anemia, Tourette syndrome, A terminal illness that involves severe pain, nausea or wasting.
If they support that version, then thank them and let them know you are behind them. If they hem and haw and do not give you a clear answer or say they are opposed, remind them that elections are not far away and you will vote for a candidate that fully supports medical marijuana in Georgia because it is the right thing to do.
Below you can view the only copy of HB-1 I have been able to locate. If you have a newer version please let us know in comments or by contact form and we will update this article.
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