The popular cannabis blog “THEWEEDBLOG” shared news from Georgia. Last week Georgia CARE launched a campaign to establish medical cannabis in Georgia.
Wednesday August 7th, Georgia CARE director James Bell is scheduled to be interviewed by WABE / 90.1 FM about the campaign to be aired at a later date.
Medical Marijuana Plan Crafted For Georgia – Activists Offer Up Comprehensive Plan
Atlanta GA: Today, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign legislation making Illinois the 20th state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana. Meanwhile, Georgia activists say they want Georgia to be the next state to consider reform legislation and have published a report on how to achieve their goals.
James Bell, director for Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education (Georgia C.A.R.E.), said Georgia is ready to consider historic legislation allowing for medical marijuana.
In a seven page report (A Guide to Enacting Medical Marijuana in Georgia)Georgia CARE outlines the steps Georgia must take to remove criminal penalties, allow doctors to recommend therapeutic use and provide for a legal and safe source of medical marijuana.
“We believe the people of Georgia will support our efforts to allow patients with serious medical conditions to use marijuana under doctor’s supervision. We’re ready to take our plan to state lawmakers”, Bell said. “In 1980 Georgia was one of the first states in the nation to pass a compassionate medical marijuana law. We believe Georgia lawmakers are no less compassionate today. We should not treat patients like criminals.”
From the report: Four key principles for effective Georgia medical marijuana laws
Georgia CARE is working with a diverse coalition of groups and individuals dedicated to educating the public, media and legislators concerning the medical marijuana issue.
Georgia CARE is seeking legislative sponsorship for the 2014 legislative session and is planning a symposium on Cannabis Therapeutics at EmoryUniversity in January 2014.
Whether you are for its legalization or not, you are paying for marijuana to be illegal. According the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 43.3% of all “Arrests for Drug Abuse Violation” are of people who are in possession of marijuana. Six percent of all drug-abuse violation arrests were for the “Sale/Manufacturing” of marijuana. In other words, a whopping 49.5% of all drug-violation arrests are connected to marijuana. Half of the population that is in prison for substance abuse is in prison for marijuana-related crimes.
Funnily enough, there was a time when it was illegal for farmers not to grow hemp, marijuana’s industrial and THC-deprived cousin that can be used to make fiber, oil, paper, fiberboard, rope, and nutritional hemp-seeds, among a copious amount of other things. in 1619, in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia, a law was passed that required farmers to grow “Indian hemp-seed,” along with various other “must grow” laws spanning the next two centuries.
Why did a renewable resource that had such a wide variety of uses suddenly become taboo for the American citizen and have its history nearly erased from every textbook and museum? The government decided to do what it does best: tax and regulate. 1937 saw the passing of The Marihuana Tax Act. This bill forced any individual who dealt in the sale or transportation of marijuana in any capacity to pay a tax of $1. This would only be a mere $16.18 in today’s economy, but the kicker is that if an individual or party did not pay this tax they would be subject to five years in prison or a fine of $2,000— $32,353.47 today.