Jennifer Conforti is leading the argument for Georgia to expand its medical marijuana law, NBC News reports. Her reason is simple: her daughter, 5-year-old Abby, has autism and could greatly benefit from the medicinal properties of cannabis, but is not allowed to use it under state laws.
She’s not alone in her fight. Advocates of marijuana use for patients have been mounting “civil disobedience” campaigns in an attempt to put pressure on Georgia lawmakers to expand on the current legislation.
“There are some pretty tenacious parents who are fighting,” Conforti says.
Why wouldn’t you do that as a legislator? What is in it for you to make you not want to help families in the state?
Georgia is a conservative state. Its marijuana laws are “CBD-only,” meaning only specific medical conditions can be treated using marijuana-based products that are high in cannabidiol (CBD), and low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The latter is responsible for the “high” in pot smoking. Full information on the law can be found on Norml.
This law, which was widely received and supported across the state in 2014, was signed by then-Governor Nathan Deal, a conservative Republican. State Representative Allen Peake, also a Republican, became known as the “godfather” of medical marijuana legislation in Georgia, when he proposed a bill that allowed the use of marijuana products for 8 conditions, as long as these products had no more than 0.3% of THC. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Deal, as patients and their families looked on.
However, Georgia’s CBD-only law did not cover specifics such as the growing and distribution of marijuana plants, which forced residents to either obtain their cannabis from other states or not use it at all.
In the two years since the law was signed, the political winds have seen a swift change. Earlier this year, Rep. Peake pushed for a broadening of the legislation by relaxing the THC limit, legalizing cultivation and distribution and adding more medical conditions to the approved list. As per the Marijuana Policy Project, the move was not supported by the majority of Georgia’s lawmakers.
Anti-drug groups and other opponents of the existing law mounted several campaigns to dissuade further expansion of the law. While many reasons were presented, such as what many consider to be unclear definitions and procedures in the expanded bill, the primary concern of residents is that Georgia might soon be headed towards full legalization, which would open a whole new can of worms.
For parents like Conforti, however, their concerns are more personal. She experimented with various cannabis oils to control Abby’s violent rages, after a scare with the Department of Family Services and an uncomfortable experience at her daughter’s school where teachers had to restrain and carry Abby out. Conforti testified in support of Peake’s legislation, and maintains that she will not stop until lawmakers fully realize what a mess they’ve made.
“I’m not advocating for recreational use,” she said. “It’s for my daughter. She actually has a quality of life now. We’ve been doing it for a year-and-a-half now and we’re not going to stop.”
