Allen Peake Releases Details of Proposed Medical Marijuana Legislation

ATLANTA | The Georgia lawmaker who championed legislation permitting individuals with sure illnesses to own medical marijuana pre-filed a bill on Wednesday. permitting state-licensed producers to operate within the state, calling in-state production the "next logical step".

State Representative Allen Peake from Macon plans to file legislation today that would expand on the medical marijuana bill passed in last year's legislative session. The proposal sets up a process for licensing the facilities, tracking all plants and products and other regulations. A commission learning the difficulty by means of the autumn & winter voted down a suggestion backing creation of an in-state production system, despite Peake's urging. But law enforcement organizations long have opposed allowing any in-state growth, and Gov. Nathan Deal also has spoken against such a system. Peake foresees anywhere from two to six licenses being issued depending on a number of qualifying factors. The law accomplished Peake's initial goal of bringing back Georgia residents who had gone to live in Colorado in order to be able to use cannabis oil. However, Peake's new legislation would also allow for vaporization methods and strip the THC limits. "Having access to a safe, lab-tested product that's consistent is crucial". That's on top of the eight medical conditions listed in the current law.