Georgia state Sen. Curt Thompson has two plans for legalizing pot next year and he’s not wasting any time getting them into the legislative process. The first bill would give lawmakers the ability to legalize the sale of medical cannabis for patients with certain debilitating conditions — currently there’s a limited, CBD-only law in place.
Thompson’s second bill would legalize the sale of cannabis for adults 21 and up, taxing sales and putting the money toward schools and improving mass transport around the state.
According to Thompson, the bills could raise as much as $160 million in tax revenue for the state each year. That is, if they actually get any traction at all. But Thompson says he’s willing to get the conversation started this session and “”until something passes, as long as it takes.”
Senate Bill 6 would legalize recreational cannabis. Senate Bill 7 would legalize medical cannabis.
“We are the 10th-largest state and we ought to have a voice and be talking about this and we ought to be getting folks involved,” Thompson told WBTV.com.
Of course, law enforcement is already opposing the move – and as we’ve pointed out in the past – they are claiming that the CBD-only bill passed last year to help sick children was really just a gateway to legalizing cannabis outright. Gwinnett County, Georgia District Attorney Danny Porter equated it to sticking a knife in someone’s back.
Seriously.
Thompson said the medical marijuana bill shouldn’t be a debate at this point in history.
“Few would disagree that physicians need every good tool in their medical toolbox to provide the best healthcare possible to their patients,” Thompson said in a release. “During the 2015 legislative session, we will have the opportunity to provide our doctors with an additional tool by legalizing marijuana for medical use.”
WSB-TV in Atlanta polled 750 people in the city and found that 54 percent said they would approve of medical cannabis.