Top Georgia Officials Support Expanding Medical Marijuana Program

Two high-ranking GOP officials are open to researching options to expand the state’s medical marijuana program. If either Lt. Governor Casey Cagle or Secretary of State Brian Kemp are elected as the new governor, expansions are apparent. Representative Allen Peake is pleased to see the shift in opinion.

Peake has voice his support for Cagle with a formal endorsement, AJC reports. Peake also noted that Cagle is the best option to “solve the medical cannabis access issue early in his first year in office”. Georgians still have permission to possess up to 20-ounces of marijuana oil, but no way to access it in the state.

The state’s registry now has about 4,000 members. Current governor, Nathan Deal has been against in-state cultivation. He cited the opposition was partly because ample safeguards weren’t in place.

Cagle and Kemp both stated that they’d seek the opinions of experts to determine the right path to expanding access and evolving the state’s medical marijuana program before moving forward.

Cagle said, “Access could mean many things, cultivation could be one of those. But there are other methods as well. If the only option we have under a very tight regulatory environment is to harvest it here, then I will pursue that.”

Kemp said, “If there’s research there that shows an expansion that could even lead to cultivation, I’d definitely be open and supportive to doing that.”

Neither candidate supports recreational marijuana legalization.