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Georgia Hopes to Expand Cannabis Program to Include HIV Patients

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Haleigh’s Hope, otherwise known as House Bill 1, was originally intended to help those with terminal illnesses, by granting them access to life-saving cannabis oil. The spread of HIV has crippled Atlanta’s gay and black populations, and Georgia ranks fifth in the nation with new cases of HIV. The State House committee, however, decided to eliminate it from the list of qualifying conditions. Some reports have identified the removal of HIV/AIDS from Georgia’s cannabis program as both homophobic and racist, but a new bill aims to change that.

Georgia’s stringent cannabis program is comparable with other states like New York and Minnesota. Last year, Georgia legalized cannabis oil for eight—and only eight medical conditions. HB-1, which gave way for Georgia’s current cannabis program, only allows patients with cancer, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Seizure disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Mitochondrial disease, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease and Sickle Cell Anemia. The committee ultimately decided to delete Fibromyalgia from the list.

The Georgia House approved legislation Wednesday that adds several key disorders to its cannabis program. House Bill 722 would add HIV/AIDS, Epidermolysis Bullosa, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Tourette’s syndrome and more.

Currently, medical cannabis patients in Georgia have to cross state lines to obtain cannabis oil, putting them at risk of federal drug charges. The bill would also protect out-of-state manufacturers from being prosecuted.

The committee threw out an earlier plan that would have allowed for six state-licensed cultivators and cannabis oil producers. “We’re going to improve the lives of a significant amount of Georgians by the passing of this bill,” said  Representative Allen Peake, R-Macon. “Not as many as I would’ve liked.”

Extensive research has been done regarding cannabis’ efficacy with HIV and AIDS patients. Lawmakers, not doctors, continue to decide who is sick enough for cannabis treatment.

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