Peake makes changes to medical marijuana bill following meeting with governor

ATLANTA — State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, announced several changes to medical cannabis legislation following a meeting with Gov. Nathan Deal.

Proposed changes to House Bill 1 include immediate decriminalization, upon the Governor’s signature of HB 1, for possession of cannabis oil containing between 3-5 percent THC for individuals with certain medical conditions who have obtained the cannabis legally in another state. Also included in the changes to HB 1 is the creation of a council whose sole charge will be to examine the future establishment of a regulatory model for an in-state growth and distribution infrastructure in Georgia.

The committee will also be charged with making its recommendations to the General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2015.

“I have been in intense conversations with the Governor over the last several days about HB 1, and I view today’s progress as a huge step in the right direction,” Peake said in a statement. “After much discussion, it is clear that we need to conduct more research on setting an in-state growing scenario in order to provide the best and most effective infrastructure for our citizens. Last year, I made a promise to bring our families home and to give Georgians a chance to obtain cannabis oil in our state without fear of prosecution, and this has remained a priority. The changes that we have agreed upon for HB 1 vary slightly from the original version, but the bottom line is that we will be bringing Georgia families back home.”