Cannabis in Georgia (U.S. state)

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Cannabis in Georgia is legal for limited medical uses in the form of CBD oil, but illegal for recreational use.

2015 medical legalization[edit]

A measure to allow medical cannabis oil passed the Georgia House in February 2015.[1] On April 16, 2015, the non-psychoactive form of marijuana oil (CBD oil, also known as "Charlotte's Web") was legalized for medical use in the state under HB 1, the Haleigh’s Hope Act.[2][3]

Medical cannabis was not without precedent in Georgia; the state had conducted legal cannabis trials on cancer patients in the 1970s.[4]

Illicit trade[edit]

In the 1970s and 1980s, a number of county sheriffs and deputies were prosecuted for their involvement in the drug trade, including Sheriff John David Davis, a former moonshiner who had been pardoned by President Nixon and was convicted in 1984 of smuggling cannabis into south Georgia. Davis's case parallels that of a number of other former moonshiners who segued into the cannabis trade.[5]

1983 paraquat spraying[edit]

In 1983, amidst controversy, the Drug Enforcement Agency conducted aerial spraying of illegal cannabis plots in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia, using the herbicide paraquat. Citizens and a congressman objected, noting paraquat's dangers, and a temporary restraining order was placed on further spraying. The federal Drug Abuse Policy Officer Pat McKelvey rebutted that paraquat is a safe and widely used herbicide, and alleged that the objections to the DEA spraying had been raised by cannabis growers and legalization advocates.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Cannabis Oil: "It Will Help With The Pain And Make Life A Little More Bearable" « CBS Atlanta". Atlanta.cbslocal.com. 1995-09-01. Retrieved 2015-03-02. 
  2. ^ "Medical marijuana is now legal in Georgia". 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-16. 
  3. ^ https://www.mpp.org/states/georgia/
  4. ^ Mary Lynn Mathre, R.N. (1 July 1997). Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana. McFarland. pp. 70–. ISBN 978-0-7864-0361-5. 
  5. ^ Vincent Coppola (2008). The Sicilian Judge: Anthony Alaimo, an American Hero. Mercer University Press. pp. 221–. ISBN 978-0-88146-125-1. 
  6. ^ Reed Business Information (25 August 1983). New Scientist. Reed Business Information. pp. 531–. ISSN 0262-4079.