Medical marijuana is gaining a larger and larger foothold in the U.S. Now southern states are jumping on the bandwagon. While the Republican lawmakers in the Deep South feared that medical marijuana legalizations might lead to widespread drug use, it seems that these views are quickly changing, according to The Boston Globe.
More and more states are legalizing marijuana. Colorado actually legalized marijuana sales as of Jan. 1, according to USA Today. Since then, the drug has wound up in edibles, such as brownies, cookies and beef jerky, that are consumed by people across the state. Massachusetts recently awarded the first 20 licenses to operate medical marijuana dispensaries, according to SFGate; and in 2013, Oregon passed legislation that authorized the distribution of medical marijuana through registered facilities, according to The Oregonian.
Now it seems as if southern states are following suite. Georgia lawmakers are considering a medical marijuana bill for people with certain disorders, according to HD News 12. In fact, powerful lawmakers in both Georgia and Alabama are backing bills that would allow for limited medical marijuana use, according to The Boston Globe.
"I'm an unlikely champion for the cause, said Allen Peake, Georgia Representative, in an interview with the Associated Press. "Once people realize it's not a 6-year-old smoking a joint, most folks realize this is the compassionate thing to do."
In fact, today lawmakers are debating Haleigh's law in Georgia. This would allow doctors to prescribe cannabis oil to treat those with seizures, according to HD News 12. The new bill is receiving support from the Medical Association of Georgia, among others.
The new push for marijuana legalization shows how it's gaining more acceptance among the entirety of the U.S. Even though southern states seemed to be adverse to marijuana in the past, the recently proposed bills reveal that even the Deep South is leaning toward legalizing the plant-at least when it comes to medical purposes.
