State Commission on Medical Cannabis hears medical research about marijuana

ATLANTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The chairman of the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis is confident his board will have a recommendation before the 2016 General Assembly. State Representative Allen Peake says it takes a lot of research to keep moving his push for medical marijuana forward.

The Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis is still trying to come up with a plan to grow marijuana in the state. One couple in their 60’s told the board they almost faced jail time because they were growing a small number of marijuana plants at their home to treat the wife’s medical condition.

“One night we were watching TV and all of a sudden her hands just started to curl up. Her toes started curling up and she scared me,” remembered Sullivan Chainey.

It’s a feeling he knows well ever since his wife Ruth was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Sullivan said he went out and found a marijuana cigarette because the couple read it could help ease her symptoms.

“I actually mixed it up in a tea that she likes to drink. An hour or two hours, everything started relaxing and she felt a whole lot better and a lot of the pain went away,” Sullivan told the board.

Sullivan explained he started making fudge for Ruth using THC oil. He estimated about 100 mg of marijuana per piece of fudge. Ruth used the seeds from the marijuana to plant a few plants in her garden so they would know exactly what they were putting in the fudge.

A few months later, a drug task force found them. Sullivan said he explained their situation to the officers and they understood, but told him Ruth would have to turn herself in eventually. Sullivan told the board both he and his wife were indicted. However, on the day of their court appearance the district attorney told the couple the charges against them had been dropped. Sullivan believes it’s because the attorney’s learned about Ruth’s condition and how marijuana can be helpful.

The couple isn’t alone. Other families with loved ones suffering from a medical condition who can use a low dose THC oil to treat it are facing the same problem: how do they get it if it is not grown in the state and it is illegal to cross state lines with the drug?

“Citizens are risking their freedom to get this medicine here and they’ll do it every day because they’re saving their child’s life,” explained Janea Cox, the mother of the little girl who inspired the state’s medical marijuana law.

The commission heard research from medical experts at its meeting Wednesday.

“It’s comprised of over 100 different components and we have to understand what the naturally occurring form is, what the pharmaceutical grade forms are, you also have to understand the context in which it’s used,” said Dr. Cynthia Wetmore, the Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research at Emory University School of Medicine.

Dr. Wetmore said if the state could grow cannabis, scientists would be better able to control those components.

“There’s scientific data that supports the use of components of medical marijuana in a number of different illnesses. It just needs to be evaluated more extensively,” explained Dr. Whetmore.

The Chairman of the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis, State Representative Allen Peake, said the board is still forming ideas for the final recommendation.

“It’s clear that it’s got to be a safe product. It’s got to be an effective product. It’s got to be well regulated and tightly restricted. It think those are the criteria we’ll come up with any recommendation we give to the governor,” said Peake.

The next commission meeting is scheduled for October 28. The board expects to hear the concerns from law enforcement at that time.

Peake said there would be a final meeting on December 1.