As we go through the legislative process many have come forward to share the most personal aspects of their lives in an effort to educate lawmakers about the miracle medicine we call CANNABIS.

Bridgett Liquori is an outlaw, not that you’d know from looking at her. This petite 34-year-old single mother’s crime? She loves her children and is risking everything to keep them as happy, safe and healthy as possible.

If that means breaking  state and federal laws to get the medical cannabis her kids need to treat their daunting illnesses, then so be it.

“I never thought I’d be a marijuana activist,” says the self-described “Canna Mom” from Gwinnett County. “But this is about my kids so I really didn’t have much choice.”

Liquori is part of grassroots movement devoted to reforming Georgia’s restrictive and nonsensical medical cannabis laws. In between taking care of her kids, Liquori spends time testifying at the state capitol, working with pro-marijuana groups such as the Georgia CARE Project and writing her own blog about the benefits of medical cannabis. She’s also keeping a nervously watchful eye on how the newly minted Trump administration will handle the marijuana industry that’s growing like a weed nationwide.

A native of upstate New York, Liquori did not come by her marijuana activism easily.

“I was scared,” she said while watching her kids play at a park in Oakhurst on an unseasonably warm Saturday morning. “I was afraid of someone coming to my house and taking my kids away because I’m doing something illegal. Even though (medical cannabis) is beneficial and helpful to them, the fear was there. A lot of days it’s still there. I worry if someone is going to kick my door in.”

The post A mother’s love vs. Georgia’s “reefer madness” appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

Temple GA: On April 3^rd the City of Temple will begin the process to amend the city’s marijuana ordinance that would remove jail time and reduce the fine for one ounce or less of cannabis.

Following in the footsteps of the cities of Clarkston and Atlanta, council member Penny Ransom will present the proposed ordinance for the first reading at the next scheduled council meeting. A public hearing and a vote will come over the next four weeks.

State law allows cities to create an ordinance for one ounce or less of marijuana with up to $1000 fine and 6 months confinement. State law allows up to 12 months confinement. It does not stipulate a minimum penalty.

A hearing will be held on April 13 to allow citizens and stakeholders to provide information and ask questions.

Georgia CARE Project (Campaign for Access Reform and Education) began the City by City Initiative when they proposed an ordinance change in Athens-Clarke County in 2015.

Last July, the City of Clarkston passed a reform ordinance that removes incarceration and allows for a citation and up to a $75 fine. City officials expressed interest in reducing the harm state marijuana laws create on those caught with personal use amounts.

The key features to the ordinance is removal of an arrest record and elimination of jail time.

Georgia CARE director James Bell said the public no longer wants to incarcerate citizens for marijuana possession and cities are willing to consider a less Draconian approach to the issue.

“We are encouraged that various cities in Georgia are willing to debate the issue”, Bell said. “We hope as more cities reform their ordinances it will send a message to state legislators that Georgians no longer want to create criminals out of those who use cannabis. But, we understand there is still a desire by some to show disapproval of cannabis use.”

Georgia CARE will continue to reach out to cities and help educate councils on the reform process.

The post City of Temple set to consider new marijuana ordinance – no jail time appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

The committee voted to move the bill forward to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee for further consideration.

HB-65 expands the current law (HB-1) by adding additional medical conditions for which cannabis oil (CBD/THC) can be used and for other purposes.

State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, chairs the working group and wrote House Bill 65, which will be the vehicle for their recommendations.

“I thought today was very productive,” said Peake, after the meeting. The working group is a special committee formed this year to work on the complexities of getting a substance to Georgians that’s prohibited under federal law. The roughly 1,200 Georgians on the state medical cannabis registry for diagnoses like severe seizure disorders can posses a liquid made from medical cannabis, though there is no legal way to obtain it. The working group also recommended that people with medical cannabis cards from other states should be allowed to posses that liquid.

The post Georgia doctor treats Autistic son with cannabis appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

We are so glad to hear these questions! They are the exact questions anyone who wants to see legal reforms should ask, and we’re here to answer them.

The answers, which we have explained below, are why we do the work that we do, and why we need your support.

Below are answers to these questions along with explanations so you can understand exactly how things work in Georgia. We’ve taken some of this info from Ballotpedia, which is also a good source to check out for political info on Georgia and elsewhere.

Q: Why isn’t there anything on the ballot about cannabis legalization?

A: Because Georgia legislators decided against including it on the ballot.

In Georgia, “the legislature can put a proposed amendment on the ballot upon a two-thirds majority vote in both the legislative chambers.”

This means the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia State House of Representatives must both vote on including the amendment on the ballot. AND at least two-thirds (2/3) of both chambers must approve the decision in order for it to be included.

The voting does not rely upon a simple majority of 51% but a “supermajority” rule of two-thirds. That means 120 votes in the House and 38 votes in the Senate.

Q: What about the ballot measure that was proposed in 2015?

A: The ballot measure did not pass both chambers in 2015. It was not reintroduced in 2016.

Senator Curt Thompson of District 5 introduced Senate Resolution 6 on November 24, 2014. This submitted the ballot for consideration in the 2015-2016 session. It did not pass both chambers and was not reintroduced after its failure to pass.

It can be reintroduced again, but it will require support from more legislators to pass.

Q: What about Washington, D.C.? They petitioned to vote on the issue.

A: Georgia’s constitution “does not currently allow for any form of citizen initiated ballot measures, so all ballot measures must be referred by the legislature.”

The District of Columbia allows for “citizen initiated ballot measures.” This means if enough citizens sign a petition in support of an initiative, the issue will be placed on the ballot and it does not require the legislature’s approval. The legislature still has the power to introduce ballot measures but citizens can bypass them and force the issue to a vote.

This is a powerful form of direct democracy. However, it is not something that is allowed in Georgia’s constitution. This means it is not an option for cannabis legalization.

Instead, one or more Georgia legislators must sponsor the ballot measure in order for it to go to a vote in the two chambers. Then, each chamber must vote in support of the ballot measure (at least 2/3 as described above) in order for it to be included on the ballot on election day.

This means Georgia must approach things differently than Washington, D.C. and hey, we’ve been doing things differently for years!

Q: So – what do we do to see a ballot measure for cannabis legalization in the future?

A: We have to lobby Georgia legislators of both parties, in the House and the Senate, to make them understand the majority of Georgians support reform and want to vote on a ballot measure.

Beyond that, we have to elect representatives who are ready to support this issue.

This is where the Georgia CARE Project and our partners come into the picture.

It is our job to talk with legislators in both chambers and explain the merits of these legal reforms.

We advocate for these issues on your behalf. As part of our #40DaysCampaign, we want to be present for all forty days of the legislative session. Legislators need to hear our message on cannabis legalization every single day. You can support that initiative by pledging to support a day or more of lobbying.

We will help organize Georgians to reach out to their representatives to let them know we want to see change. This shows them we want representatives who understand how important this issue is for the future of our state.

We have also recently launched a City by City initiative to push forward cannabis legalization reform on the local, city level across Georgia.

The post Why Isn’t Georgia Voting on Cannabis Legalization? appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

The post Cannabinoid Education Poster appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

AJC – A bill that would expand the list of medical conditions that could be treated on Georgia’s medical marijuana law has stalled in committee, after Senate Health and Human Services Chairwoman Renee Unterman, R-Buford, said Monday that she will not schedule a hearing on it before the Legislature ends work March 24.

House Bill 722 would have added HIV/AIDS, epidermolysis bullosa, post-traumatic stress disorder, Tourette’s syndrome and other disorders and illnesses to the list of qualifying medical conditions eligible for the state’s cannabis oil program, which became legal last year.

Unterman said she felt the push to expand the list needed more work and discussion than time would allow during the session.

“I met with some of the families and I’ve committed to continue working on it with them, and that’s what I told them,” Unterman said. When asked if she expected to schedule a hearing, she said: “No, it’s not coming up.”

The post Georgia Sen. Renee Unterman Kills Medical Marijuana Bill HB-722 appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

Up for consideration in Georgia are a total of three pre-filed bills: State Rep. Allen Peake’s (R-Macon) House Bill 1, and State Sen. Curt Thompson’s Senate Bill 7 and Senate Resolution 6.

SB 7 and HB 1 are medicinal marijuana programs, while SR 6 is Thompson’s attempt at full legalization.

Both CBD and THC, or cannabinoids, offer great benefits for patients suffering from a vast array of aliments.  The cannabinoid THC, however, contains psychoactive properties, whereas CBD’s do not.

“Regardless of someone’s socio-economic level, they should have access to medicines that can help them; their quality of life is the issue here,” Thompson told Atlanta Progressive News. “This will be modeled after the Arizona program.”

The post Full Legalization Bills Pre-Filed for 2015 Legislative Session SR-6 SB-7 appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

Here’s something new!

Today we are at a crossroad. We must determine what our focus will be over the next two years. Should we focused on cannabis medicine only? Should we advocate for criminal justice reform? Is industrial hemp an issue for us? Should we be doing it all?

As a volunteer organization we are limited to the time spent each week on reform matters. Do we want a full time advocate? Can we raise the funds needed to grow our project?

These are just some of the issues we face as we move forward.

The next 2 months will be a busy time for Georgia C.A.R.E. Hearings, meetings, forums, interviews are on the calendar.

We need your support. Can you donate? Volunteer? Do you have a talent or skill to offer?

We are organizing a “Cannabis Ambassadors” program for people like you who want to be more involved – volunteers we can count on to help organize and advocate for reform. We will have more information on this program later this month.

Take a look at what’s in store for C.A.R.E. over the next few months.

November 12: Medical Cannabis Hearing – Augusta Ga. At Georgia Regents University 1:00 pm -3:00 pm
November 20: Public Forum – with James Bell – Morehouse University – Atlanta – 6:30 pm
November 13: Taping – “Doc Talk with Dr. Jeffrey Gallups” on WGST 640 AM – Airs 8:00 am Sundays
December 3: Final medical cannabis hearing – Georgia State Capitol – 1:00 pm
January 11: Wild Hog Supper – Georgia Railroad Depot – 5:30 – 7:30 pm – Food Bank Fundraiser
January 12: Start of Legislative Session – Georgia General Assembly – Gold Dome Atlanta
January 15: Forum on Cannabis Re-Legalization Jeff Maxwell Library – 5:00 – 6:30pm Augusta GA

These are just some of the events coming up over the next few months.

Georgia C.A.R.E. will continue to be a voice for reform and reason. With your partnership we can change the laws and bring compassion and justice to the state of Georgia.

For Compassion, Freedom and Justice
James Bell – Founder / Director Georgia C.A.R.E.

The post From Georgia C.A.R.E. Director James Bell appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

“I hope that the knowledge shared by Dr. Uma will open the eyes of many who are interested in healing and the relief of pain and suffering. Cannabis is a very old medicine that has benefited mankind for millennia. Education is the key to getting the medicine to the people who need it.” James Bell

The post Cannabis Therapeutics – The renaissance of a natural medicine with Dr. Uma Dhanabalan appeared first on Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education.

Commonly known as “marijuana”, cannabis has been used for benefit of mankind for over 5000 years for fiber, fuels and medicine.

Over several decades Georgia has spent billions of tax dollars attempting to enforce draconian prohibition laws against cannabis “marijuana”. The results have been devastating and ineffective in eliminating the desire of Georgians to use marijuana. It is estimated nearly 1 million Georgians use marijuana annually.

In Georgia, more than 35,000 arrests occur for marijuana offenses each year. 85% of these arrests are for possession, accounting for 55% of all drug arrests.

Today, March 14^th, about 100 people will be arrested for possession of marijuana in Georgia.

Prohibition has diverted valuable resources away from real crimes against people and property. Marijuana arrests takes law enforcement officers off the streets; fill our county jails and clog courts; overcrowds our state prison system; renders defendants unemployable and stigmatizes otherwise law abiding and productive citizens.

Organizations Working for Marijuana Law Reform:

Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education – www.gacareproject.com

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – www.peachtreenorml.org

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) – www.leap.cc

Marijuana Policy Project – www.mpp.org

Law Reform:

Many options are available when considering reform of marijuana laws. Medicalization, decriminalization and legalization are all viable options for consideration. Various forms of regulation, control and taxation can and should be considered.

Medical Marijuana:

In 1980, the Georgia General Assembly unanimously passed a medical marijuana research act, (Controlled Substance Therapeutic Research Act – Code 43-34-120) becoming one of the first states to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana. With support of Lt. Gov. Zell Miller, House Speaker Tom Murphy, Rep. Virlyn Smith and Governor George Busbee, this landmark legislation opened the doors to therapeutic cannabis. The law relied upon federal cooperation and supply, therefore rendering the law cumbersome and ineffective in accomplishing its goal to further the research into the benefits of medical marijuana.

The legislation stated: “(Studies) indicate that marijuana and certain of its derivatives possess valuable and in some cases, unique therapeutic properties, including the ability to relieve nausea and vomiting which routinely accompany chemotherapy and irradiation used to treat cancer patients.” It also cited the benefit in reducing intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

Currently, 18 states, including the District of Columbia, passed medical marijuana laws. These enacting states should be used to determine the best course of action for Georgia.

Decriminalization:

Georgia has some of the most severe penalties for marijuana in the nation. Possession of less than one ounce (28 grams) carries up to one year in jail and $1000 fine. More than one ounce (29+ grams) carries up to ten years in prison.

Georgia should consider what real impact an individual who smokes marijuana has on public safety versus the cost to enforce these laws. Under decriminalization various scenarios can be considered.

Less than one ounce (personal possession) could be considered a civil infraction to be dealt with on the county or municipal level similar to a traffic ticket.

Misdemeanor and felony amounts could be raised. For example, a misdemeanor amount could be up to four ounces with fines and little or no prison time and the felony amount could be set over four ounces.

These scenarios could dramatically reduce the risk of prison time while allowing penalties for possession.

Recommendations:

1. Georgia can begin law reform by elimination of jail and prison time for less than 4 ounce of marijuana. Remaining penalties will be sufficient enough for the state to show disapproval and discouragement of marijuana use. This reform will shift limited resources to more serious offenses. 
2. Parole anyone serving time for possession of marijuana and return them to their families and community.
3. Pardon those who have successfully completed their sentence for marijuana offense so as to not harm their ability to find jobs and earn a living. 

Industrial Hemp

Long before Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana) became widely used as an intoxicant, the world’s farmers and industrialists utilized the plant for food, fiber and fuel. If hemp was legal to grow in Georgia it would create multi-million dollar industries and would generate such goods as: bio-fuels, building materials, textile manufacturing, etc. Listed below are some facts about the many uses of the hemp plant for your consideration.

INDUSTRY FACTS
*Henry Ford experimented with hemp to build car bodies. He wanted to build and fuel cars from farm products.

*BMW is experimenting with hemp materials in automobiles as part of an effort to make cars more recyclable.

*Much of the bird seed sold in the US has hemp seed (it’s sterilized before importation), the hulls of which contain about 25% protein.

*Hemp oil once greased machines. Most paints, resins, shellacs, and varnishes used to be made out of linseed (from flax) and hemp oils.

*Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on hemp oil.

*Kimberly Clark (on the Fortune 500) has a mill in France which produces hemp paper preferred for bibles because it lasts a very long time and doesn’t yellow.

*Construction products such as medium density fiber board, oriented strand board, and even beams, studs and posts could be made out of hemp. Because of hemp’s long fibers, the products will be stronger and/or lighter than those made from wood.

*The products that can be made from hemp number over 25,000.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS
*Industrial hemp and marijuana are both classified by taxonomists as Cannabis sativa, a species with hundreds of varieties. C. sativa is a member of the mulberry family. Industrial hemp is bred to maximize fiber, seed and/or oil, while marijuana varieties seek to maximize THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana).

*While industrial hemp and marijuana may look somewhat alike to an untrained eye, an easily trained eye can easily distinguish the difference.

*Industrial hemp has a THC content of between 0.05 and 1%. Marijuana has a THC content of 3% to 20%. To receive a standard psychoactive dose would require a person to power-smoke 10-12 hemp cigarettes over an extremely short period of time. The large volume and high temperature of vapor, gas and smoke would be almost impossible for a person to withstand.

*If hemp does pollinate any nearby marijuana, genetically, the result will always be lower-THC marijuana, not higher-THC hemp. If hemp is grown outdoors, marijuana will not be grown close by to avoid producing lower-grade marijuana.

*Hemp fibers are longer, stronger, more absorbent and more mildew-resistant than cotton.

*Fabrics made of at least one-half hemp block the sun’s UV rays more effectively than other fabrics.

*Many of the varieties of hemp that were grown in North America have been lost. Seed banks weren’t maintained. New genetic breeding will be necessary using both foreign and domestic “ditchweed,” strains of hemp that went feral after cultivation ended. Various state national guard units often spend their weekends trying to eradicate this hemp, in the mistaken belief they are helping stop drug use.

*A 1938 Popular Mechanics described hemp as a “New Billion Dollar Crop.” That’s back when a billion was real money.
*Hemp can be made in to a variety of fabrics, including linen quality.

LEGAL FACTS
*The US Drug Enforcement Agency classifies all C. sativa varieties as “marijuana.” While it is theoretically possible to get permission from the government to grow hemp, DEA would require that the field be secured by fence, razor wire, dogs, guards, and lights, making it cost-prohibitive.

*The US State Department must certify each year that a foreign nation is cooperating in the war on drugs. The European Union subsidizes its farmers to grow industrial hemp. Those nations are not on this list, because the State Department can tell the difference between hemp and marijuana.

*Hemp was grown commercially (with increasing governmental interference) in the United States until the 1950s. It was doomed by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which placed an extremely high tax on marijuana and made it effectively impossible to grow industrial hemp. While Congress expressly expected the continued production of industrial hemp, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics lumped industrial hemp with marijuana, as it’s successor the US Drug Enforcement Administration, does to this day.

*Over 30 industrialized democracies do distinguish hemp from marijuana. International treaties regarding marijuana make an exception for industrial hemp.

*Canada now again allows the growing of hemp.

ECOLOGY FACTS
* Hemp growers can not hide marijuana plants in their fields. Marijuana is grown widely spaced to maximize leaves. Hemp is grown in tightly-spaced rows to maximize stalk and is usually harvested before it goes to seed.

*Hemp can be made into fine quality paper. The long fibers in hemp allow such paper to be recycled several times more than wood-based paper.

*Because of its low lignin content, hemp can be pulped using less chemicals than with wood. Its natural brightness can obviate the need to use chlorine bleach, which means no extremely toxic dioxin being dumped into streams. A kinder and gentler chemistry using hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine dixoide is possible with hemp fibers.

*Hemp grows well in a variety of climates and soil types. It is naturally resistant to most pests, precluding the need for pesticides. It grows tightly spaced, out-competing any weeds, so herbicides are not necessary. It also leaves a weed-free field for a following crop.

*Hemp can displace cotton which is usually grown with massive amounts of chemicals harmful to people and the environment. 50% of all the world’s pesticides are sprayed on cotton.

*Hemp can displace wood fiber and save forests for watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation and oxygen production, carbon sequestration (reduces global warming), and other values.

*Hemp can yield 3-8 dry tons of fiber per acre. This is four times what an average forest can yield.

HEALTH FACTS
*If one tried to ingest enough industrial hemp to get ‘a buzz’, it would be the equivalent of taking 2-3 doses of a high-fiber laxative.

*At a volume level of 81%, hemp oil is the richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (the “good” fats). It’s quite high in some essential amino acids, including gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a very rare nutrient also found in mother’s milk.

*While the original “gruel” was made of hemp seed meal, hemp oil and seed can be made into tasty and nutritional products. Prepared by the North American Industrial Hemp Council, October 1997

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