Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
The veil of secrecy surrounding medical marijuana treatment in Georgia is unwarranted.
Last December we called on state lawmakers to make it easier to obtain medical cannabis in Georgia because it was the right thing to do for patients who can find no other effective treatment for their conditions.
At the time, we said selling, using and even cultivating controlled medical marijuana in Georgia has nothing to do with fostering a drug culture and incubating an environment for illegal behavior.
We supported the efforts of Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, to make cultivation possible in Georgia, while making cannabis available to more patients for an expanded list of medical conditions.
Legally regulated medical cannabis is not a gateway drug and will not lead to illegal drug use and abuse.
Obtaining and using medical marijuana should have no more stigma attached to it than any other medically warranted prescription drug or treatment.
It should not be difficult to find the treatment option for those who need it, and the names of doctors with their contact information should be readily available.
Before they voted to allow the use of cannabis for medically warranted conditions, lawmakers were touched by the plight of families, especially those with young children, who have either been denied access or have had to go outside of Georgia - creating a great financial burden and risking being charged with a crime - to get treatment that is effective for their serious medical conditions.
However, merely legalizing the use for certain conditions has not removed the stigma and now many of the doctors who prescribed cannabis are almost impossible to find.
Perhaps the only real way to make treatment more readily available is a change in federal law.
When the U.S. Congress made marijuana a Schedule I, illegal, drug in 1970, it said cannabis had no accepted medical use. The medical community now knows that is not true.
Almost half of U.S. states have legalized the medical use of marijuana.
Most people have come to understand medical cannabis is the only effective drug for many patients including some of those who suffer from epilepsy, glaucoma, Crohn's disease and the negative effects of chemotherapy. These patients should be able to get a prescription for a legal medication that works and not risk running afoul of the law and doctors should be able to openly prescribe the medication without fear of backlash.
We believe the registry of physicians and medical practices that prescribe medical cannabis should be accessible to everyone and not cloaked in secrecy.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Cannabis Should Not Be Hidden
Author: Staff
Contact: 229-244-1880
Photo Credit: iStock
Website: The Valdosta Daily Times
Last December we called on state lawmakers to make it easier to obtain medical cannabis in Georgia because it was the right thing to do for patients who can find no other effective treatment for their conditions.
At the time, we said selling, using and even cultivating controlled medical marijuana in Georgia has nothing to do with fostering a drug culture and incubating an environment for illegal behavior.
We supported the efforts of Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, to make cultivation possible in Georgia, while making cannabis available to more patients for an expanded list of medical conditions.
Legally regulated medical cannabis is not a gateway drug and will not lead to illegal drug use and abuse.
Obtaining and using medical marijuana should have no more stigma attached to it than any other medically warranted prescription drug or treatment.
It should not be difficult to find the treatment option for those who need it, and the names of doctors with their contact information should be readily available.
Before they voted to allow the use of cannabis for medically warranted conditions, lawmakers were touched by the plight of families, especially those with young children, who have either been denied access or have had to go outside of Georgia - creating a great financial burden and risking being charged with a crime - to get treatment that is effective for their serious medical conditions.
However, merely legalizing the use for certain conditions has not removed the stigma and now many of the doctors who prescribed cannabis are almost impossible to find.
Perhaps the only real way to make treatment more readily available is a change in federal law.
When the U.S. Congress made marijuana a Schedule I, illegal, drug in 1970, it said cannabis had no accepted medical use. The medical community now knows that is not true.
Almost half of U.S. states have legalized the medical use of marijuana.
Most people have come to understand medical cannabis is the only effective drug for many patients including some of those who suffer from epilepsy, glaucoma, Crohn's disease and the negative effects of chemotherapy. These patients should be able to get a prescription for a legal medication that works and not risk running afoul of the law and doctors should be able to openly prescribe the medication without fear of backlash.
We believe the registry of physicians and medical practices that prescribe medical cannabis should be accessible to everyone and not cloaked in secrecy.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Cannabis Should Not Be Hidden
Author: Staff
Contact: 229-244-1880
Photo Credit: iStock
Website: The Valdosta Daily Times
