High Time This Happened
Medical marijuana is now legal to possess and obtain in Georgia. Does that mean it’s going to be the next Colorado?
Medical marijuana is now legal to possess and obtain in Georgia. Does that mean it’s going to be the next Colorado?
The leaders of Georgia’s marijuana movement are an unlikely bunch by pop culture’s standards. Among their ranks are a group of mostly Republican lawmakers and even our good ol’ boy Governor, Brian Kemp, who this April signed into law HB 324 allowing the manufacture and distribution of low-THC oil for medical use.
Nationwide, the cannabis market is expected to generate $146 billion in revenues by 2025. This revenue potential is at the heart of some opponents’ concern.
Terry Norris, Director of the Georgia Sherrifs’ Association explained his organization’s stance on HB 324. “The sheriffs view cultivation for this so-called medical purpose as a decisive step toward legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. The product will be driving the need. It doesn’t seem these big companies would be investing that amount of time and money for 8,400 people [the number of patients currently on the statewide registry] if there wasn’t an interest in pushing that further into recreational.”
The passing of HB 324 remedies a flaw in an older bill that legalized low-THC oil to treat a limited number of conditions like epilepsy and cancer, but left patients with no legal way to obtain the medicine in the state. It authorizes six cultivation licenses and creates a state oversight board to license retail outlets.
So does the passing of the bill mean Georgia is headed the way of Colorado? To find out I spoke with Moses Campbell, owner of Mary Jane’s CBD Dispensary (mjcbdd.com). “It’s going to take federal legalization before Georgia makes the change. We actually don’t want to enter the medical cannabis market until it’s federally legal. It is still a difficult and costly state to operate in. That’s why we got into CBD.”
In reality, he’s right. Georgia is unlikely to see legalization in the next four years, despite public support. An Atlanta Journal Constitution poll in January 2018 showed that 50 percent supported legalization for recreational purposes. A May 2018 poll by 11Alive News put that percentage closer to 55 percent. Still, legislators in Georgia as well as the Governor are hell-bent in their opposition to legalization.
In the meantime, Georgians are left with the status quo — some of the strictest punishments for misdemeanor possession in the country. If you’re arrested with less than an ounce, you could face up to one year in prison and up to $6,000 in fines. More than an ounce? You’re facing a mandatory minimum sentence of one year, a maximum of 10 years, and fines up to $15,000.
We’re still pretty far away from that Rocky Mountain High.
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