Georgia doesn’t have the harshest marijuana laws in America, but they are far from friendly. If you get caught with more than 1 ounce of marijuana in Georgia, it’s a felony, punishable by up to ten years in jail and a $5,000 fine. There is another felony charge if the marijuana was possessed with intent to distribute (any amount), which also carries another penalty of up to ten years in jail and a $5,000 fine. I don’t know what the police are like in Georgia, but in most states law enforcement is quick to make the determination that there was intent to distribute, so I’d imagine often times those charges go together when people get caught.
Possession of any amount of hash or concentrates is a felony, and cultivation of even just one plant is a felony. As you can see, Georgia is in need of some serious reform. With marijuana legalization becoming more and more popular across America, a poll was conducted which asked if marijuana should remain illegal in Georgia or be legalized, like it is in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Alaska, and Washington D.C.. Below were there results of the poll, which was conducted by Georgia new agency 11Alive and Survey USA:
In an exclusive scientific poll commissioned by 11Alive News and conducted by Survey USA, we sked 1,787 registered voters, “Should the use of marijuana for recreational use by adults in Georgia remain against the law?”
46 percent of respondents said yes, while 45 percent said to make it legal. Another 10 percent said they were not sure.
Georgia recently approved the use of cannabis oil to treat some medical conditions. Some feel that it is high time to address the use of marijuana for the masses.
While it is true that Georgia approved high-CBD cannabis oil for medical use, there is literally no way to obtain the form of medical marijuana within the state, so the law is almost useless to most patients. It’s only when you obtain the specific form of medical marijuana from the black market, or smuggle it into Georgia from out of state and risk federal charges, then and only then does the law apply. This tends to be the case in most CBD-only medical marijuana states.
Georgia patients and consumers deserve better marijuana laws. I have relatives that live in Georgia, and my wife was talking to one of them (her aunt) last night about marijuana reform in Georgia. I think Georgia is a ways off from reform due to one huge factor – Georgia does not have a citizen initiative system.
In states like Oregon, where I live, citizens can gather signatures and put things on the ballot when the legislature refuses to step up. That’s how most marijuana reform victories have been achieved in America. There are some legislatures that have legalized medical marijuana, but I have the feeling that when Georgia legislators are approached with the topic of medical marijuana, they will likely say ‘we already legalized that with the CBD law, your welcome.’ But, as I explained earlier, that law is virtually useless. Georgia deserves real marijuana reform. If you live in Georgia, contact your elected officials and demand that they step up and do what’s right, and get on the right side of history.
