Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
While the battle over medical marijuana rages on in the Georgia state capitol, the decision to legalize the drug is very clear for the Sievert family of LaGrange.
"You don't want to say it's a miracle drug, but that's what it is," said Vince Sievert.
Sievert's 20-year-old daughter, Miranda, has been taking a strain of medical marijuana, called R4, since November 2014.
After being diagnosed with epilepsy in 2012, Sievert said his daughter was having between 30 to 50 compact seizures a week, sometimes more than 20 in just one day.
It got so bad, the Sieverts had to pull Miranda out of Troup High School and home school her. Sievert said she was on several different anti-seizure medications that weren't working for her and had horrible side effects.
"She passed out, was sleeping 20-plus hours a day and had nose bleeds," said Sievert. "I found out one of her medications has the tendency to cause patients to go blind."
Frustrated with the lack of efficacy the medications were having on controlling Miranda's seizures, the family sought out another option. This one was more permanent and frightening than the drugs she was taking.
"We went to Emory to learn about a surgery that would have removed a portion of her temporal lobe (part of her brain)," said Sievert. "Afterwards, she would have had to go through speech therapy, she'd lose part of her memory and motor skills.
"But the scariest part, we spoke to families who had loved ones that went through the surgery, and it didn't stop the seizures at all."
Leaving the surgery as the final option, the Sieverts reached out to state Rep. Allen Peake. Peake is the House majority caucus secretary and treasurer. He also represents Ga. District 141 and is the author behind the medical marijuana legislation in 2014, which was stalled before a final vote. After speaking with him and other families about the benefits of using medical marijuana, Miranda and her mom packed up and moved to Aurora, Colorado.
"It was a quick decision," said Sievert. "The finances to get out there were tough. The organization, Journey for Hope, which Allen Peake established, helped us. They paid for traveling expenses and rent for six months out in Colorado."
HB1
Peake supports legalizing a form of the cannabis oil in Georgia and plans on introducing new legislation, known as HB 1, before a committee on Tuesday.
In the proposal, Peake said he added two new objectives: establishing a commission, made up of medical professionals, lab technicians and law enforcement officials, that will take a year to study the best way for the state to cultivate it's own medical marijuana in a controlled facility; and providing complete immunity for citizens in Georgia who have legally obtained medical marijuana in another state.
According to Peake, the latter includes allowing people or guardians of children with illnesses to have a medical marijuana card that would be registered with the state of Georgia and can be presented to law enforcement officials should they be caught with the drug. The card will protect them from being arrested or fined for having the substance in their possession.
In the new version of HB1, Peake detailed the type of medical marijuana that would be allowed in the state, also known as Charlotte's Web, that is high in CBD (cannadbidiol) and low on THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), to 5 percent or less. According to the Psychology Today website, THC is the component that makes marijuana psychoactive and a mind-altering substance.
Peake also said the drug would only be allowed to be ingested or administered by a syringe and could not be smoked.
The legislation also outlines 17 diseases and disorders that would be immune from prosecution. The list includes seizures, cancer, Parkinson's disease and terminal illnesses such as ALS.
Peake said providing immunity as detailed in HB1 would be the first step in bringing folks like the Sieverts, and 17 other Georgia families, home for good.
"If a product is low enough in THC, with little psychoactive effect, why would we not do that? Why would we not help these families," Peake asked.
Breaking the law
While the new legislation sounds promising, Peake admitted there will still be some major hurdles to overcome, including how the families obtain the medical-grade marijuana.
Since buying and selling marijuana would still be illegal in Georgia, those folks would need to purchase it from another state where it is legal to do so, such as Colorado. But in doing that, according to LaGrange Public Safety Chief Lou Dekmar, those families would violate state and federal laws that prohibit people transporting illegal drugs from state to state.
Peake said with HB1 he will ask Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to file exemption forms with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice, so those purchasing and traveling with the medical grade marijuana will not be prosecuted by federal law enforcement officers.
Peake is also working closely with a company in Colorado that manufactures the Charlotte's Web strain of medical marijuana that would ship the drugs to the families — again, with no prosecution.
Peake said the other option would be to take matters into their own hands.
"Some neighboring states are close to passing legislation that would make it legal to purchase medical marijuana," he explained. "I'm not asking parents to break the law ... but the risk of them getting caught breaking federal laws is very low. They (law enforcement) would have to know that you traveled into the state to purchase the drug ... then they'd have to have probable cause to search your vehicle.
"It's not the best solution ... but maybe it's time for someone like me to go to a state and pick up some medical grade marijuana and be arrested for it ... it would show the lunacy of not having a bill that makes it legal to buy here. Frankly, I've become so passionate about getting the medical marijuana to families, that I'm willing to go to jail for it."
"Indeed if there is no way to obtain marijuana in Georgia then one has to violate the laws in other states and federal law to transport it to Georgia. So the law induces citizens to violate the statutes of other states and the federal government," said Dekmar. "While the sponsor of the bill may be prepared to go to jail for his political position on marijuana, I am not certain that sentiment would be shared by those seeking to bring it into the state for what they believe is a 'legal medicinal' purpose."
No scientific evidence
It's not just the legal logistics and potential increase in drug abuse and crime that has Dekmar concerned about the Georgia legislation. According to him, there's also been no concrete scientific evidence yet that proves medical grade marijuana is — and will — help folks suffering from certain disorders and diseases.
"We need to look at this objectively and, first and foremost, we do no harm ... that we don't pass legislation based on popular opinion versus clinical research ... that's just not good public health policy," he said. "The term medical marijuana implies that some component of marijuana is a medicine.
Nevertheless, no part of marijuana is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medicine; nor is it endorsed or marketed by the pharmaceutical industry or any mainstream medical associations. In fact, the FDA has noted, 'no sound scientific studies support medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States.' Ask yourself: when have we ever regulated medicine by popular vote? It is puzzling as to why the Georgia legislators would circumvent the normal FDA process."
Peake agreed and said he is paying very close attention to a clinical trial right now that is being processed by the FDA. But he said he's also seen proof that medical marijuana works.
"Seventeen families left Georgia to go live in Colorado," Peake explained. "All those families have seen reductions in seizures and better cognitive abilities. Some of them (patients using medical marijuana) have stopped taking some or all of their prescription medications because they don't need it anymore ... the anecdotal evidences is so overwhelming, you can't deny the positive effect of cannabis oil."
Vince Sievert said his family noticed a difference in Miranda right after she took her first dose.
"She could carry on a full conversation with you. Her memory was coming back. Before you'd have to remind her to take her meds or brush her teeth several times. Now, we don't," he explained. "She went 17 days without having a seizure. After being on it (medical marijuana) for two weeks, her seizures completely stopped ... my daughter has no side effects."
"Here we are a state saying we can't give medical marijuana because it's illegal," said Peake. "But you can get it in another state and it's working wonders on seizures."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: A prescription for disaster? For local family, medical marijuana may be saving daughter's life - Lagrange Daily News - lagrangenews.com
Author: Melanie Ruberti
Contact: mruberti@civitasmedia.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Lagrange Daily News - lagrangenews.com
"You don't want to say it's a miracle drug, but that's what it is," said Vince Sievert.
Sievert's 20-year-old daughter, Miranda, has been taking a strain of medical marijuana, called R4, since November 2014.
After being diagnosed with epilepsy in 2012, Sievert said his daughter was having between 30 to 50 compact seizures a week, sometimes more than 20 in just one day.
It got so bad, the Sieverts had to pull Miranda out of Troup High School and home school her. Sievert said she was on several different anti-seizure medications that weren't working for her and had horrible side effects.
"She passed out, was sleeping 20-plus hours a day and had nose bleeds," said Sievert. "I found out one of her medications has the tendency to cause patients to go blind."
Frustrated with the lack of efficacy the medications were having on controlling Miranda's seizures, the family sought out another option. This one was more permanent and frightening than the drugs she was taking.
"We went to Emory to learn about a surgery that would have removed a portion of her temporal lobe (part of her brain)," said Sievert. "Afterwards, she would have had to go through speech therapy, she'd lose part of her memory and motor skills.
"But the scariest part, we spoke to families who had loved ones that went through the surgery, and it didn't stop the seizures at all."
Leaving the surgery as the final option, the Sieverts reached out to state Rep. Allen Peake. Peake is the House majority caucus secretary and treasurer. He also represents Ga. District 141 and is the author behind the medical marijuana legislation in 2014, which was stalled before a final vote. After speaking with him and other families about the benefits of using medical marijuana, Miranda and her mom packed up and moved to Aurora, Colorado.
"It was a quick decision," said Sievert. "The finances to get out there were tough. The organization, Journey for Hope, which Allen Peake established, helped us. They paid for traveling expenses and rent for six months out in Colorado."
HB1
Peake supports legalizing a form of the cannabis oil in Georgia and plans on introducing new legislation, known as HB 1, before a committee on Tuesday.
In the proposal, Peake said he added two new objectives: establishing a commission, made up of medical professionals, lab technicians and law enforcement officials, that will take a year to study the best way for the state to cultivate it's own medical marijuana in a controlled facility; and providing complete immunity for citizens in Georgia who have legally obtained medical marijuana in another state.
According to Peake, the latter includes allowing people or guardians of children with illnesses to have a medical marijuana card that would be registered with the state of Georgia and can be presented to law enforcement officials should they be caught with the drug. The card will protect them from being arrested or fined for having the substance in their possession.
In the new version of HB1, Peake detailed the type of medical marijuana that would be allowed in the state, also known as Charlotte's Web, that is high in CBD (cannadbidiol) and low on THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), to 5 percent or less. According to the Psychology Today website, THC is the component that makes marijuana psychoactive and a mind-altering substance.
Peake also said the drug would only be allowed to be ingested or administered by a syringe and could not be smoked.
The legislation also outlines 17 diseases and disorders that would be immune from prosecution. The list includes seizures, cancer, Parkinson's disease and terminal illnesses such as ALS.
Peake said providing immunity as detailed in HB1 would be the first step in bringing folks like the Sieverts, and 17 other Georgia families, home for good.
"If a product is low enough in THC, with little psychoactive effect, why would we not do that? Why would we not help these families," Peake asked.
Breaking the law
While the new legislation sounds promising, Peake admitted there will still be some major hurdles to overcome, including how the families obtain the medical-grade marijuana.
Since buying and selling marijuana would still be illegal in Georgia, those folks would need to purchase it from another state where it is legal to do so, such as Colorado. But in doing that, according to LaGrange Public Safety Chief Lou Dekmar, those families would violate state and federal laws that prohibit people transporting illegal drugs from state to state.
Peake said with HB1 he will ask Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to file exemption forms with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice, so those purchasing and traveling with the medical grade marijuana will not be prosecuted by federal law enforcement officers.
Peake is also working closely with a company in Colorado that manufactures the Charlotte's Web strain of medical marijuana that would ship the drugs to the families — again, with no prosecution.
Peake said the other option would be to take matters into their own hands.
"Some neighboring states are close to passing legislation that would make it legal to purchase medical marijuana," he explained. "I'm not asking parents to break the law ... but the risk of them getting caught breaking federal laws is very low. They (law enforcement) would have to know that you traveled into the state to purchase the drug ... then they'd have to have probable cause to search your vehicle.
"It's not the best solution ... but maybe it's time for someone like me to go to a state and pick up some medical grade marijuana and be arrested for it ... it would show the lunacy of not having a bill that makes it legal to buy here. Frankly, I've become so passionate about getting the medical marijuana to families, that I'm willing to go to jail for it."
"Indeed if there is no way to obtain marijuana in Georgia then one has to violate the laws in other states and federal law to transport it to Georgia. So the law induces citizens to violate the statutes of other states and the federal government," said Dekmar. "While the sponsor of the bill may be prepared to go to jail for his political position on marijuana, I am not certain that sentiment would be shared by those seeking to bring it into the state for what they believe is a 'legal medicinal' purpose."
No scientific evidence
It's not just the legal logistics and potential increase in drug abuse and crime that has Dekmar concerned about the Georgia legislation. According to him, there's also been no concrete scientific evidence yet that proves medical grade marijuana is — and will — help folks suffering from certain disorders and diseases.
"We need to look at this objectively and, first and foremost, we do no harm ... that we don't pass legislation based on popular opinion versus clinical research ... that's just not good public health policy," he said. "The term medical marijuana implies that some component of marijuana is a medicine.
Nevertheless, no part of marijuana is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medicine; nor is it endorsed or marketed by the pharmaceutical industry or any mainstream medical associations. In fact, the FDA has noted, 'no sound scientific studies support medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States.' Ask yourself: when have we ever regulated medicine by popular vote? It is puzzling as to why the Georgia legislators would circumvent the normal FDA process."
Peake agreed and said he is paying very close attention to a clinical trial right now that is being processed by the FDA. But he said he's also seen proof that medical marijuana works.
"Seventeen families left Georgia to go live in Colorado," Peake explained. "All those families have seen reductions in seizures and better cognitive abilities. Some of them (patients using medical marijuana) have stopped taking some or all of their prescription medications because they don't need it anymore ... the anecdotal evidences is so overwhelming, you can't deny the positive effect of cannabis oil."
Vince Sievert said his family noticed a difference in Miranda right after she took her first dose.
"She could carry on a full conversation with you. Her memory was coming back. Before you'd have to remind her to take her meds or brush her teeth several times. Now, we don't," he explained. "She went 17 days without having a seizure. After being on it (medical marijuana) for two weeks, her seizures completely stopped ... my daughter has no side effects."
"Here we are a state saying we can't give medical marijuana because it's illegal," said Peake. "But you can get it in another state and it's working wonders on seizures."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: A prescription for disaster? For local family, medical marijuana may be saving daughter's life - Lagrange Daily News - lagrangenews.com
Author: Melanie Ruberti
Contact: mruberti@civitasmedia.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Lagrange Daily News - lagrangenews.com
