Yo, listen up! We gotta talk about Georgia, my peeps. It’s been hella popular in the news lately, ya feel me? All them media organizations and both political parties can’t stop talkin’ ’bout the Peach state. And yo, if there’s a high-profile trial goin’ down, you know they gonna be focusin’ on Georgia even more. But here’s the real question: what’s goin’ on with Georgia and marijuana?
Now, Georgia has seen some small changes in its cannabis laws in recent years, but let me tell you, they still got some tight regulations in place. And get this, even though more than two outta three Americans (that’s 68% for y’all who ain’t good at math) support legalizin’ marijuana, only a measly 10% of the country thinks it should be fully illegal. That’s straight up crazy, right? In a poll done by the Atlanta Journal Constitution back in 2020, at least 53% of state residents believed weed should be fully legal. And that number only goes up when we talk ’bout medical marijuana.
But hold up, hold up. Let me lay down some facts for ya. This dude named Kemp, who was runnin’ for Governor, straight up said he ain’t all about that recreational marijuana life. And let me be real with y’all, his stance is standin’ in the way of what the people want. Like, come on man! Can’t you see that the people just wanna light up and chill?
Back in April 2015, Georgia did actually legalize this thing called low-THC cannabis oil for medical use. They call it the Haleigh’s Hope Act. So now Georgia got medical cannabis goin’, but don’t get too excited. You gotta be diagnosed with some pretty serious conditions to get your hands on that sweet Mary Jane. We talkin’ cancer, ALS, seizure disorders, and multiple sclerosis. It’s gotta be end stage or severe for you to qualify. That’s some strict rules right there.
But check this out, in 2019, Governor Brian Kemp signed a law that let a limited number of private companies start manufacturin’ cannabis in Georgia. They call it the Georgia’s Hope Act. And get this, only six producers are allowed to grow the stuff. Talk about keepin’ things exclusive, am I right?
Oh, and guess what? Georgia voters are sendin’ a message loud and clear to them state lawmakers. They voted in favor of adult-use cannabis legalization in a ballot measure back in the day. The state Democratic party put nine questions on the primary election ballot just to see where the people stood on issues like legalization. And let me tell ya, they stood strong for that sweet sticky icky.
Now, there were some bills tryna decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed for adults in 2023. But sadly, none of ’em made it through the legislative process. So right now, if you get caught with an ounce or less of weed in Georgia, you could be lookin’ at up to a year behind bars. That ain’t cool, man! Over 40,000 Georgians gettin’ arrested every damn year for somethin’ that should be legal.
So here’s the deal, my friends. We need all this attention that Georgia’s gettin’, both nationally and globally, to make ’em rethink their outdated marijuana laws. And since they’re all up in the news lately, maybe they’ll take a minute to think about all this Georgia and marijuana business and realize they need to chill the hell out! Let the people smoke their weed in peace, man! It’s time for Georgia to get with the times and embrace that green goodness. Peace out!
