Georgia State Representative Allen Peake – (R-Macon) , a sponsor of a medical cannabis extract (CBD) bill continues to ignore the medical benefits of the whole plant cannabis and THC the active compound known for its euphoric effects and medical benefits. Peake down plays the role THC plays in treating medical condition such as glaucoma and cancer.

James Bell, director of Georgia C.A.R.E. Project said he supports full plant medicine and was quoted in a recent article concerning proposed legislation being considered for the 2015 legislative session. Georgia Senate Bill 7 – 2015

Here is what Bell had to say:

Peake also emphasized that cannabis oil contains a relatively low percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, the active psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

But some say that in trying to get conservatives to embrace some form of medical marijuana legislation, Peake has distorted the science by playing down the medical potential of THC.

“I think we have maybe one opportunity to get [medical marijuana legislation] right,” said James Bell, the director of the Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform and Education, or CARE, which supports (Sen. Curt) Thompson’s bill.

Georgia Senate Bill 7 – 2015

“When Allen Peake talks about ‘[cannabis oil] won’t get you high,’ my point is ‘So what if it gets you high?’” he said.

“They’re already on…drugs I can’t even pronounce. One parent said his six-year-old was going into puberty; another said that his child’s gums were growing over his teeth…and Allen Peake is worried about some child feeling euphoric…They need to get over it.”

Bell accused GW Pharmaceuticals, which makes Epidiolex, a cannabis oil treatment currently in the clinical trial process, of lobbying to essentially limit legalization to their product when the whole plant could be used to treat a wider array of medical conditions.

Bell said he hoped a compromise bill would eventually emerge from committee.

The Covington News is a community based tri-weekly newspaper that serves the citizens of Newton County, Georgia as it has since its inception in 1865. The News has won a myriad of awards for the wide-ranging coverage it provides its readers. As the legal organ of the county, The News is the source of local information for Newton residents.