ATLANTA — This year’s version of legislation to permit the use of marijuana-based medicine no longer has a provision to allow production of the crop in Georgia, and Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday the change is due to the federal government.
It does allow patients with certain specific conditions to possess marijuana oil as long as it has no more than a trace of THC, the psychoactive chemical.
Supporters of the legislation have expressed anger. They argue that since federal law prohibits transporting the medicinal marijuana oil from another state, the medicine effectively remains out of reach without the ability to grow the crop in Georgia.
But Deal told reporters after a speech to a business audience that the new version of the bill represents a compromise with Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, the author of the bill.
“It is not everything that he thought he was going to ask for, but we think it is a significant step to be able to allow those families who have children who need that oil to be able to have that in our state and decriminalize their having it here,” the governor said.
There are signs that the federal policy is opening the way. The U.S. Department of Justice no longer has funding to enforce the federal prohibition in states that legalized medical use of marijuana, like Colorado.
Deal predicted that Congress will go further, but said he was unwilling to until then.
“Even with the lack of enforcement, the law is still in place,” he said. “That is one of the deterrents. We can do within our state boundaries what I think is important to do right now.”
Peake had scheduled a Capitol press conference for Tuesday afternoon to build momentum for his proposal and discuss winning Deal’s support, but he canceled it as criticism grew in recent days.
Still, reporters buttonholed the legislator Monday where he remained optimistic that his proposal will fare better than last year when it passed the House and stalled in the Senate.
“We’re still moving the ball forward and moving it in the right direction,” Peake said.
He noted that the governor pushed last year to establish clinical trials at Georgia Regents University under U.S. Food and Drug Administration supervision as is required for conventionally produced pharmaceuticals.
“I know the governor wants to provide options for Georgia families,” Peake said. “The clinical-trial process is a very valid option for many families.”
He rejected criticism that Deal bowed to pressure from drug makers to halt local manufacture of the medicine.
“He has told me personally that he wants to take a prudent look at what’s the best model for (treatment) growth here in Georgia,” Peake said. “I think that’s what we’re doing.”
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