Update:

On January 17, state senator Josh McKoon filed a bill, SR-756, in the Georgia Senate calling for a Medical Marijuana Study Committee to be formed. Click here to read the full bill (PDF)

Medical marijuana in Georgia got a big push forward today from state representative Allen Peake (R-Macon), who announced that he was drafting a bill to legalize medical marijuana for limited uses.

This is strictly how do we help those citizens that are in critical or terminal conditions who can have their pain and suffering relieved by proper use, proper administration by medicinal physical of medical marijuana- State Rep. Allen Peak

Peake made headlines yesterday when he visited a child with Dravet Syndrome in a Georgia hospital. After seeing the girl Peake said “It’s touched me deep, deep in my soul, so I’m going to do everything I can to see what we can do for these families.”

Medical marijuana support in the Georgia Legislature

Other Georgia lawmakers have recently come forward in favor of medical marijuana, including Speaker of the House David Ralston. The fact that so many Republicans are supporting medical marijuana in Georgia means there will likely be a good deal of bi-partisan support for the measure, though it is unknown how lawmakers from the church-saturated rural areas of the state will respond. Rep. Peake made it clear his intention was to provide access to CBD-rich medicine, so it is unlikely Georgia will soon see a large number of dispensaries or grow operations. Being an election, year Governor Nathan Deal has mostly sidestepped the issue, although a recent Fox 5 poll shows many Georgians in favor of medical marijuana, which may help sway his opinion.

Original story