Sen. Curt Thompson Will Keep Pushing Medical Cannabis Bill
(APN) ATLANTA — Today, Monday, January 26, 2015, State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) is formally introducing language to replace the original, placeholder language of HB 1, to provide immunity for individuals with CBD oil, but not allow for in-state growing.
However, State Sen. Curt Thompson (D-Tucker) tells Atlanta Progressive News that he will keep pushing his medical cannabis bill, SB 7, which does provide for in-state production and dispensaries.
SEN. THOMPSON VOWS TO PUSH FORWARD
“I’m still gonna push it. Nothing’s over til it’s over. The Governor’s against the concept. We don’t declare defeat on the second or third day of the session,” Thompson told APN.
“With something like this – we were the 50th state to have a domestic violence statute. Same with Sunday [alcohol] sales, we were the 49th state. So you just keep pushing,” Thompson said.
“If you do get something passed this year and it’s not exactly what you want, you push again next time,” Thompson said.
When asked if there is support in the State Senate among his colleagues, Thompson said, “There’s some… privately there’s support.”
“The issue is, when you’re in… the same party of the Governor, and the Governor asks you to do something different, there’s a different kind of pressure,” Thompson said.
“Even I don’t think realistically think I will get everything I want, but you have to ask for everything you want to get some of it,” he said.
“The goal this Session will be how far we can get to that goal. This is a football game that never ends,” he said.
Thompson criticized the proposed solution of immunity without in-state access, noting that parents of sick children who need CBD oil will pay “more money on the travel costs, than the costs of the medicine itself.”
Immunity “does not solve the problem. You’re basically telling people, if you can go to Colorado, and violate Colorado laws and leave the states with it,” then it’s okay, Thompson said.
“If you carry it across state line, that’s a federal crime,” he said, noting that the federal government has said–and no longer has funding authorized to–interfere with state medical programs, but that not all states have such programs. Georgia and many of its neighbors do not.
“For someone leaving Colorado to come to Georgia, is basically… you have to have the cojones. How many laws are you violating on the way back?” Thompson said.
Thompson said flying back from Colorado might work “if you make it here and don’t get profiled in the airport, meaning you look like me,” Thompson, who is White, said.
Thompson also noted that for many sick Georgians CBD is not the right treatment, and that for some, the edible form is not the right form for the medicine.
“Wasting disease – they need the higher THC content, it’s also the THC apparently that calms nausea. If you get into the science of this, and you have a traditional form of adult epilepsy, MS or Parkinson’s… you’re using a vaporizer,” he said.
APN asked about Gov. Deal’s stated concerns regarding the lack of infrastructure in Georgia to support a medical program in Georgia.
“Those are legitimate concerns. It’s not legitimate to say, we can’t do it til we study it for years. There are other states that do it. There absolutely has to be security issues taken into account – this has been done in other states. The model in my statute comes from Arizona,” Thompson said, pointing out that Arizona is a red state.
“I picked Arizona because it is a red state, has full plant medicinal marijuana and has the growers. Typically it’s done hydroponically in a closed building,” he said.
“There are different state models, don’t get me wrong, but the essentials of it, there are limited licenses, only certain people can grow it, you have to go through a whole background process,” Thompson said.
“You’re waiving your Fourth Amendment rights to have the place searched to make sure the plants are there and are tagged,” Thompson said of other states’ medical cannabis in-state growing programs.
Thompson said that in-state growing was discussed “at length” during the 2014 study committee hearings, as covered by APN.
“I do think it’s possible, you do not need another study group. It’s not something you need a commission for, it’s fairly common sense stuff,” he said.
(END/2015)
Check your Spanish. Cajones are Peruvian percussion musical instruments, basically beatboxes. The word you’re looking for is cojones, slang for balls (testicles).
Thanks, we’ve updated the spelling.
I’d like to thank Curt Thompson for being a candle in the dark for all the folks in Georgia who have been failed by both Allen Peake and Nathan Deal. It’s a tragedy GA Republicans refuse to even consider SB7. Peake has given up the fight. The stripped-down HB1 will pass and help, precisely, NOBODY. SB7 would help a lot of people, but it won’t pass the legislature without bipartisan support, and it takes a 2/3s majority to overturn the governor’s veto. Neither can happen unless Republicans who give a damn break ranks and support SB7.
Everyone agrees this is GOING to happen in Georgia. It is. I was about to say “it’s only a matter of time,” but really, it’s only a matter of how long our lawmakers want to drag their feet. The only constituent Nathan Deal and Allen Peake are worried about is GW Pharmaceuticals, and they’re from BRITAIN. Our governor has agreed to shell out $8 million to a foreign drug company to give less than 50 people a medication we can grow ourselves on the cheap. No kidding, where’s the Tea Party when we need them?
PLEASE SUPPORT SEN. THOMPSON – LET GOV. NATHAN DEAL KNOW SB 7 IS THE FUTURE!!!
This ultra restrictive bill is such a sham. So many families with loved ones that are suffering would be required to become drug smugglers in order to obtain the oil (out of state). Ladies and gentleman, our government is failing us with ridiculous amounts of wasted tax dollars – your dollars! Our elected public servants seem to be living up to their approval rating, and not considering that restrictions on this law effectively would cost lives. Lets take a step back, and fact check. The reported opponents to this bill (please make a note of them – BARRY FLEMMING / BARBARA SIMS / JESSE STONE / EARNEST G. SMITH) are blocking access to a benign plant oil. Colorado has proven that with taxing, and regulation a huge revenue of tax dollars is flooding the state. Matter of fact, they collected so much taxes from recreational marijuana unless they change state law Colorado residents are entitled to state issued refunds due to the excess taxes the plant has generated.
Opponents of recreational cannabis said teen use would go up – it didn’t.
Opponents said legal cannabis will create additional dangers on the road – A *FEDERAL* study just showed that it doesn’t.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2015/nhtsa-releases-2-impaired-driving-studies-02-2015
Flawed studies showed that it lowers your IQ – They failed to take into account alcohol use in the extremely small sample group. A new study tried to replicate the results with a larger test group correcting for alcohol use – Brain morphology isn’t changed by cannabis use. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/4/1505.short
Opponents say oil can be abused by creating a concentrate – Let’s be honest – ANYTHING can be abused. People who use cannabis are going to use cannabis. Stopping those who truly need this medicine from having it SHOULD BE A CRIME!
Let’s also implement responsible, logical public polices with cannabis, such as taxing and regulation which works. Hanging on to the reefer madness mentality simply backs the failed drug war, and overpopulates for-profit prisons while ruining future careers for young adults. Anyone supporting this failed policy is either uneducated on the scientific facts, or has financial obligations to continue the insanity of repeating mistakes. It’s time for us all to take action by letting your representatives know how you feel. Post on their Facebook page, contact their office, support http://www.norml.org so we can start saving lives with cannabis rather than taking them by letting politicians play politics with your money, and freedom.
people please support this law . I am so damned tired of pain pills and not a suitable candiate for surgery.
you rather have someone on opoids or thc driving.
I like what D.C. is doing. A share or gift economy, neither money, goods or services can exchange hands! They actually turned down a chance at that 44 million in tax money Colorado made last year. That’s my dream to happen nation wide before I die. At 48 I can’t wait forever!