While media is reporting it “legalizes” medical marijuana, there is no legal provision to allow for in state cultivation or extract of the medicine in Georgia. Certified patients would have to obtain the medicine from other states and risk violating other state and federal laws. You can read the bill as passed here.

The bill would also establish a study commission to look into cultivation and promotes clinical trials for a limited number of patients. It also lists eight (8) medical conditions under the immunity proposal.

Georgia C.A.R.E. continues to support better legislation like Senate bill 7 sponsored by Sen. Curt Thompson. We support in-state cultivation and whole plant medicine.

The post Georgia Senate passes revised version of House Bill 1 Medical Marijuana appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

According to the Athens Banner Herald, 23-year old Paul Collins Broun III was booked into the jail on a marijuana possession charge and on a charge of failing to obey a traffic signal or traffic signs.

Broun was released from jail on Saturday morning after posting a $1,500 bond.

The post BUSTED! Son of Rep. Paul Broun arrested on marijuana charges appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

DeKalb County Criminal Law Attorneys

Attorneys Andy Cohen and Jill Polster are experienced, aggressive criminal defense lawyers. Polster, a former prosecutor, and Cohen, a career defense attorney, met trying a murder case against each other. They have extensive experience trying everything from misdemeanor drug cases to even the most complicated high-profile capital crimes. This experience gives the firm special insight into the inner workings of the state’s criminal justice system. We have the experience to anticipate the prosecution’s every move and to proactively develop a winning defense strategy.

Our years of criminal defense experience paired with prosecutorial experience means there is no case our attorneys haven’t encountered and no case our firm can’t handle.

At The Cohen Law Firm, we understand the fear and stress caused by a criminal charge. Our attorneys personally invest their time, attention and resources to get our clients the most favorable result possible. We do everything in our power to help our clients defeat their criminal charges.

At The Cohen Law Firm, we fight for your rights, your freedom and your future. Our attorneys have a reputation for being fierce trial attorneys. Prosecutors throughout the state know we aren’t afraid of a courtroom battle and will do whatever is necessary to protect our clients.

Because we are known as lawyers eager to take our clients’ cases to trial, we are often able to highlight weaknesses in the state’s case and use those weaknesses to negotiate the most favorable plea terms possible. While we always consider beneficial plea agreements, we will not compromise our clients’ rights for an “easy deal.” If a plea bargain is not in your best interests, we will go to trial to protect your rights.

If You Have Questions, We Have Answers

At The Cohen Law Firm, we know criminal charges aren’t confined to the 9-to-5. Our attorneys are available to help you when you need it most. If you have been charged with a crime, contact us for a free consultation. Our experienced legal team will answer your most pressing questions.

The post Need Legal Advice? The Cohen Law Firm appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

“I live with two thirds of my body in severe nerve pain,” Altier said.

Altier told me, his doctors have diagnosed him with a degenerative nerve disorder and spinal injury, and says he hasn’t been given long to live.

“They discovered my body could not tolerate the strong narcotics of morphine…and a whole myriad of other very strong opiates,” he said.

So he showed us prescription bottles for a medicine called Marinol, a legal form of synthetic THC for his pain.

“The name brand is $3700 for a month prescription. For the generic which they came out with probably about eight years ago…it’s $900,” he said.

But after Altier’s partner died, the pills became difficult to afford, so he planted seven marijuana plants on his property and used them to help curb his pain.

The Truetlen County Sheriff’s Office discovered the plants and arrested Altier. He was convicted of marijuana charges and could be sentenced Tuesday to four years in jail.

“There’s a man who could not afford the medication that was prescribed to him, so he’s growing it himself to do what the medication would otherwise do and that makes it a felony,” said Jonathan Morrison, who is representing Altier.

Altier’s neighbor and caregiver Henry Herndon says if he gets the maximum sentence he doesn’t think he’ll survive.

“For as sick as he is to give him four years in prison — that would kill him,” Herndon said.

If Altier doesn’t get the maximum sentence he says he plans to move as soon as possible.

We reached out to Sheriff Thomas Corbin.

He referred questions on the case to Craig Fraser, the county’s district attorney. Fraser did not return our phone calls.

The post Georgia Medical Marijuana Patient Arrested – faces 4 years in prison appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

According to West, the case originated from a single car accident in Cobb County where a driver crashed in front of the house of West’s client, Sheldon Mitchell. The police came to the scene gathering the driver’s information and then the drive disappeared.

Though he had committed no crime other than crashing his car, they decided to launch a full scale search with dogs of adjacent properties, even though they had the drivers address a mile away.

Two hours into the search they decided to call it off when, according to police, they heard a branch break in the woods behind Mr. Mitchell’s house 450 feet from the road through heavy woods.

At 1:30 a.m. they then went down Mitchell’s driveway and proceeded to search around his house allegedly because they believed they had “exigent emergency circumstances” to do so.

As they went around the side of the house the dog “pulled away” to Mitchell’s basement door and alerted. They made contact with Mitchell who was mad that police had come on his property with dogs and he refused consent to search. They got a search warrant and found Mitchell was growing marijuana in his basement.

Police had no prior history with Mitchell and had no intelligence that he was growing marijuana.

Attorney David West filed a motion in the Superior Court of Cobb County (Mitchell vs. State of Georgia – A13A1393) alleging the search of his client’s property two hours after a single car accident for a person who was not dangerous and whose address they possessed – at 1:30 in the morning- was an illegal search of a persons property and posed an unnecessary danger to his client and the officers who could have been suspected as intruders. West also argued – allowing police to walk around homes with drug dogs was a clear violation of everyone’s 4th Amendment rights.

Judge Adele Grubbs disagreed and believed the police acted properly and convicted Mitchell and sentenced him to five years in prison. West immediately appealed his client’s conviction and requested the judge to let his client stay out pending appeal. She refused and he went into custody.

The case went to the Georgia Court of Appeals and in a unanimous decision they ruled the search was NOT legal, violated his clients right to be free from unreasonable searches and that the use of dogs around people’s homes under these types of circumstances was wholly illegal. Mitchell’s conviction was thrown out.

West reported his court victory on his Facebook page saying “Totally kick ass news and another win against illegal police searches of home grown marijuana.”

West received notice days ago that the state is appealing this decision to the Supreme Court of Georgia and are asking them to rule that police acted properly.

“They will get the final say on what police intrusion is allowed on all our properties. Hope they uphold the right decision”, said West.

The post Marijuana Cultivation Case Heads To Georgia Supreme Court appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

Since its founding in 1970, NORML has provided a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting marijuana smokers. A nonprofit public-interest advocacy group, NORML represents the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly.

The post A Guide to Georgia’s Marijuana Laws by NORML appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.