Two weeks ago, as the Georgia Senate passed a bill lowering medical cannabis potency, Rep. Allen Peake (R- 141 Macon) had a message for supporters – “Don’t worry Georgia, the House will not go backwards.” And as of yet, they’re following through on this promise. According to Peake, the senate bill – SB 16 – which lowers the THC limit (something doctors have said could limit its effectiveness for certain patients) and adds only autism as a covered medical condition, will not pass the house in that form. “The THC level will not be lowered,” said Peake.
Peake’s bill, HB 65, passed out of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee on Monday and is expected in floor debate tomorrow. The bill would expand the number of conditions to far more than just autism – it includes AIDS, Alzheimer’s, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Mitrochondrial disease and others. The bill passed on a 7-3 vote following changes that removed post-traumatic stress disorder from the list of eligible diseases and requiring doctors to report annually. The bill now moves to the house floor where it must pass by Crossover Day on Friday.
This all comes as the Trump administration says that the country could expect to see “greater enforcement” of federal marijuana laws, regardless of individual states’ laws. Almost simultaneously, a Republican in Virginia’s fifth district, Tom Garrett, introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would decriminalize marijuana. The former prosecutor said the bill would allow states to determine appropriate medical marijuana use and to help expand the hemp industry. The announcement of the legislation from Garrett addressed head-on the action from the White House.
“In recent weeks, the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions promised to crack down on federal marijuana crimes. During his confirmation, then-Senator Sessions pointed out that if legislators did not like this approach, they should change the laws accordingly. Garrett anticipates bipartisan support as his legislation makes its way to the appropriate committees of jurisdiction.”
For his part, Rep. Peake has reached out to every Georgia congressmen to urge them to support the bill. At this time, no Georgia congressmen have commented. As the bill moves forward, it would appear in front of two committees in D.C. – the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) and House Judiciary Committees. The only Georgian on the E&C is Rep. Buddy Carter (R- 1). His score from the marijuana advocacy group NORML is a ‘D’ – for comparison Senator David Perdue is a ‘B-‘. Reps. Doug Collins and Hank Johnson are both on the Judiciary, with NORML scores of ‘F’ and ‘B’ respectively.
Peake’s other legislation focused on medical cannabis, HR 36, would allow for a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow for the regulation and production of cannabis and the sale of medical cannabis to certain individuals for medical usage. The actual vote for this resolution would not be until 2018 so Peake is focusing more of his energy on HB 65 and will likely pick back up with HR 36 in next year’s session.
