Category: Opinion

    AJC Editorial “Treat Weed Like Wine” by James Bell

    Should marijuana be legalized?

    National polls show 58 percent now support legalizing and 80 percent indicate support for medicinal marijuana.

    This shift in attitude toward cannabis comes after twenty states and the District of Columbia enacted medical marijuana laws and Colorado and Washington voted to legalize.

    But what about Georgia? Will Georgia follow suit and reform its harsh laws? Georgia activists say yes, but it will take considerable work to educate the legislature and motivate the public to get more involved. One thing is certain, the movement to reform these laws in Georgia is growing. The legislature will address this issue at some point.

    The General Assembly did address the medical marijuana issue in the past. In 1980 Georgia was one of the first states to pass a medical marijuana research act. The law allowed the use of marijuana for cancer therapy and glaucoma. But smoking the federal government’s harsh “ditch weed” was intolerable for many and the pharmaceutical form of THC was more palatable. The program is no longer active. Georgia has lost more than 30 years of medical research and we could have been a pioneer in cannabis therapeutics.

    A major factor in the increase in public support for cannabis was the documentary “Weed” by the renowned surgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This ground breaking exposé opened the eyes and hearts of millions of viewers to the miracle medicine called cannabis.

    On the criminal justice front Georgia has enacted certain law reform measures in an attempt to reduce the number of non-violent offenders in the prison system but has ignored the issue of marijuana laws reform.

    Georgia has some of the most Draconian marijuana laws in the nation with penalties up to ten year in prison for more than one ounce. With nearly 30,000 arrests each year the harm done to our citizens by these laws far exceed any real or perceived harm cause by marijuana.

    It’s time Georgia treats marijuana more like wine than plutonium. Not only is marijuana prohibition a civil rights issue, it’s also a money issue – tax dollars. The money we spend on arrest, prosecution and incarceration for a commodity that is known to be far safer than alcohol and tobacco, is money that could be redirected to prevent and enforce real crimes against people.

    As an activist I am encouraged by the support I am seeing from the public and even legislators are educating themselves about the topic and are seeking alternative policies.

    We can kick start the process by having compassion for the seriously ill and allow them access to a relatively safe medicine that has proven to offer relief from suffering. With the legal states engaged in cannabis therapeutics and research, we have just begun to understand what this plant has to offer.

    We have drafted legislation and are seeking support. We encourage the citizens to contact their legislator and begin a dialog on this issue.

    With marijuana, Georgia should apply its motto – “Wisdom – Justice – Moderation”.

      News Release: Marijuana Prohibition A Failure – ACLU Report Confirms

      ACLU report on marijuana prohibition confirms failure in “Black and White”

      Atlanta GA: June 6, 2013 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has just released a sobering report on the impact of marijuana prohibition and concluded the policy of arresting citizens for possession has been a huge failure.  Furthermore, the ACLU has called for an end to marijuana prohibition.

      The report, “The War on Marijuana in Black and White”, is the first of its kind. They reviewed a decade of data on marijuana arrests and found that between 2001 and 2010, there were over 8 million marijuana arrests in the United States, 88% of which were for possession. Marijuana arrests have increased between 2001 and 2010 and now account for over half (52%) of all drug arrests in the United States, and marijuana possession arrests account for nearly half (46%) of all drug arrests. In 2010, there was one marijuana arrest every 37 seconds, and states spent combined over $3.6 billion enforcing marijuana possession laws. The report also finds that, on average, a Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates.

      Not only has prohibition caused racial injustice, it has cost taxpayers billions of dollars that could have been used to truly address the issues of drug abuse and crime.http://www.aclu.org/billions-dollars-wasted-racially-biased-arrests

      Georgia CARE (Campaign for Access, Reform & Education) is working to reform Georgia’s draconian marijuana laws and has called on the Georgia General Assembly to introduce legislation allowing medical use of marijuana as well as decriminalization measures.

      “The report confirms what advocates for reform have been saying for decades. Marijuana law enforcement does more harm than the plant itself”, said James Bell director of Georgia CARE.  “We can no longer ignore the impact of prohibition. We must change these laws and stop arresting otherwise law abiding citizens. “

      Georgia CARE will continue building a reform coalition and a lobbying campaign this summer and plans to introduce reform legislation in the 2014 legislative session.

        Georgia CARE Welcomes Criminal Justice Reform

        Atlanta GA: Advocates for the reform of Georgia’s marijuana laws praise the Georgia legislature and Gov. Deal for the passage of historic criminal justice reform legislation just signed into law (HB-349) (HB-1176. 2012). The Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education (Georgia CARE) is one of the reform groups following the legislation. Georgia CARE advocates for marijuana law reform and believes Georgia is better off regulating marijuana like alcohol and tobacco.

        James Bell – director of Georgia CARE said that state officials have acknowledged we can not afford to lock up non-violent offends for low level crimes. While Bell applauds the recent reform, he said the legislation falls short on how to deal with those who use marijuana.

        “We feel the state should establish and decriminalize personal use amounts and remove prison time for simple possession and use”, Bell said. “If we all agree we can’t lock away marijuana users in prison why have laws on the books that can incarcerate citizens for up to ten years”, Bell asked.

        Georgia CARE will work with the state of Georgia in establishing reform legislation that reduces the harm marijuana laws causes its citizens. Marijuana laws are antiquated and draconian and must be reformed, Bell said.

        As a start Georgia CARE would like to see the felony amounts moved up to 2 or 4 ounces. Currently possession of more than one ounce is a felony and carries a penalty of up to ten years in state prison.

        National polls show a majority (52%) of Americans support marijuana legalization and even more support medical marijuana.

        “We should treat marijuana like alcohol or tobacco and regulate personal use amounts. The legal drugs have proven to be far more harmful than marijuana yet we continue to treat marijuana like plutonium rather than wine”, Bell said. “Money saved not prosecuting marijuana case can be applied to drug and alcohol treatment programs for those who truly need it.”

        Another reform issue on Georgia CARE’s agenda is expanding the medical marijuana laws that the Georgia General Assembly unanimously passed in 1980 and signed into law.