We, the undersigned, respectfully ask Governor Nathan Deal and the Honorable Members of the Georgia General Assembly to evaluate the legalization of marijuana recreational and medical use.

Currently, marijuana is completely illegal under the federal controlled substance act. However, some states have decriminalized the drug, leading marijuana to become a substance in the grey area. Georgia’s current marijuana laws are as follow: 1 oz. or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor, yielding 1 year or an $1,000 fine. More than 1 oz. of marijuana (but less than 10 lbs.) is a felony, with 1-10 years of jail time. Lastly an individual carrying over 10 lbs. of marijuana is considered to have engaged in drug trafficking.

Marijuana is a versatile plant that has many benefits. Medical marijuana is useful for pain control as the chemical compounds (THC) within the plant can be used to help with Aids/HIV, Alzheimer's, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, Chronic pain, Crohn's disease, Epilepsy, Glaucoma, and Multiple sclerosis. Further, recreational use marijuana has many health benefits. Marijuana may help reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco and improve lung health. Also, the chemical CBD has been shown to stop the spreading of cancer. Marijuana can also decrease anxiety and help speed up your metabolism. Finally, marijuana has the added benefit of reducing stress levels and encouraging creativity.

Marijuana has caused zero deaths to date. That being said some negative side effects of marijuana exist, including impaired vision, increased heart rate, antisocial tendencies, and over snacking. However, within these cons lies the underlying reality of the situation. Marijuana has little to no negative side effects and further has been tried by over 44% of Americans. This drug is only labeled a drug because of the lack of ability to tax and regulate it. Further, the revenue from Georgia home owners makes up most of the budget. However, within the year of 2017 the government did not efficiently collect this tax, thus teachers were almost cut from pay. With marijuana legal in the case of medical and recreational use this chaos would have been avoided. The government of Georgia could source their revenue in taxation of distribution and sales to assist the state with balancing its budget. Thus, I propose (to you) Nathan Deal to consider the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use.