Medical marijuana — A brief history in Georgia:
1980 — A state panel is created to review requests to use marijuana by patients with cancer and other serious illnesses, but it’s never used and falls inactive.
January 2014 — House Bill 885 is introduced by state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, to legalize cannabis oil, a limited form of medical marijuana, to patients who suffer from certain types of seizures.
March 2014 — Conservative skepticism and infighting among GOP leaders doom HB 885 as the state House and Senate fail to reach a compromise in the waning hours of the legislative session. But lawmakers agree to further study the legalization of medical marijuana
Summer 2014 — Gov. Nathan Deal backs use of clinical trials in Georgia to study cannabis oil’s effect on children suffering from seizure disorders, although he expresses skepticism over outright legalization. The legislative study committee begins meeting on the issue, as people from across the state testify about concerns and possible benefits of making medical marijuana legal in Georgia.
November 2014 — Peake “pre-files” House Bill 1 ahead of the 2015 legislative session, dubbing it “The Haleigh’s Hope Act” after a Georgia child whose parents have been among those advocating for legalization of the oil.
January-February 2015 — The House passes HB 1 after Peake agrees to drop efforts to allow manufacturers to grow and cultivate marijuana in Georgia. Instead, HB 1 would grant immunity from prosecution for those who are authorized to possess the drug. The bill, however, expands on 2014 efforts by widening who could use cannabis oil, including those with cancer, epilepsy and sickle cell disease.
February-March 2015 — The Senate initially counters with a much more restrictive proposal to only allow a very limited trial program involving children with epilepsy. That effort is defeated, however, after negotiations between Senate and House leaders produces agreement over a much more expansive bill.
March 25, 2015 — The House gives final passage to HB 1, sending it to Deal after weeks of emotional testimony from children and parents seeking access to the oil. The state would be required to set up a registration process for the oil’s use, and families would be required to get a doctor’s recommendation.
April 16, 2015 — Deal signs HB 1 and tears up at the signing ceremony as he gestures to dozens of families with children suffering from debilitating conditions. “This certainly has touched my heart,” the governor says, “and I’m pleased today we’re going to make a difference.”
Families seeking access to medical marijuana in Georgia will get good news Tuesday, when state officials are expected to announce the launch of a new registry as part of Georgia’s legalization of a limited form of the drug to treat disorders including cancer, epilepsy and sickle cell disease.
The announcement coincides with the first-ever meeting of the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis, which is scheduled Tuesday to hear a presentation at the state Capitol about how other states have legalized medical marijuana and similar proposals in Congress.
State health officials have already given temporary permission for some families — generally those with children in critical situations — to legally use cannabis oil in Georgia as long as they follow rules set by lawmakers earlier this year. Among those rules, a doctor’s recommendation is required. And families seeking treatment must register with the state.
At least 17 Georgia families in the past year have moved to places such as Colorado, where the oil's use is allowed in limited amounts. Advocates called those families "medical refugees." They fought an emotional, 15-month battle at the Capitol seeking some sort of legalization and say passage of House Bill 1 to legalize the oil here has brought many of them home.
Hope Georgia can be a ‘standard-bearer’
Jill Wilson and her daughter Ava, who suffers from a mitochondrial disorder and severe epilepsy, moved to Colorado in 2014 for legal access to cannabis oil. Wilson’s husband, Chey, remained in Georgia.
Now, they’re reunited back in Columbus and are proud holders of a temporary Georgia registration card making it legal for them to possess the medicine that helps Ava. Chey Wilson said they look forward to getting a permanent card and helping other families navigate the new system.
“I’m glad we’re back,” he said. “I feel like we can be an incredible resource for parents that will start pursuing this as soon as possible.”
But Wilson also urges members of the cannabis commission and lawmakers to get Georgia’s system right.
“I hope that this is the foundation for something, more legislation to come that will be even better,” he said. “I’m pretty positive the state of Georgian can take this thing and be a standard-bearer for what a regulated state program can be.”
Anything less than that, Wilson said, could be dangerous for parents and their children.
“Parents have been so desperate they’re going to try and get their hands on anything,” he said.
Eight disorders approved for treatment
Georgia law allows doctors to recommend treatment with the oil for any of eight disorders: cancer, Crohn’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), mitochondrial disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, seizure disorders and sickle cell disease.
Under the law, the oil may contain no more than 5 percent THC — the high-inducing chemical associated with recreational marijuana use — and must include at least a matching amount of cannabidiol to ensure better purity and quality of the drug.
The law, signed in April by Gov. Nathan Deal, also legalizes clinical trials begun by executive order last year to further study how the drug works.
It does not, however, allow manufacturers to make the oil within state lines. And that’s the biggest obstacle for patients who want to use it, since it is still illegal to travel with any form of marijuana. Marijuana is currently classified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I drug, the most dangerous class of drugs with a high potential for abuse and addiction, and no accepted medical uses.
State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, who sponsored HB 1, said he supports efforts by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and others to allow limited transportation of medical marijuana across state lines. National legislation has also been filed to allow states to regulate medical marijuana without federal prosecution and to reclassify marijuana under federal laws from a criminalized substance to one with recognized medical uses.
“Change the damn law so we can provide help that is needed to these families,” said Peake, who has helped some Georgia families with temporary permission get access to the oil. “To me, it’s worth the risk I have to take personally to get medicine to these families.”
Advocates seek wider use as treatment
Meanwhile, a group that has advocated for broader legalization of marijuana use wants to see the state make the drug available to anyone it can help, not just those who suffer from the disorders allowed under the new law.
“Georgia needs to establish the best legislation possible and let’s move forward,” said James Bell, the director of Georgia C.A.R.E. Project. “Cannabis has been shown to be a relatively safe alternative to many pharmaceuticals drugs. In fact, cannabis possesses unique properties that have shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of various medical conditions and in many cases the only medicine effective in the treatment of disease.”
Bell’s group specifically wants cannabis medicine to be available for those suffering from glaucoma and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as those dealing with pain management and other conditions.
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