Should Georgia Follow Other States and Legalize Marijuana?

What do you think about the idea of leglalizing marijuana in Georgia. It's a timely topic, as a new push to reform Georgia’s marijuana laws kicked off Monday as lawmakers consider criminal justice reform measures.

The Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education (Georgia C.A.R.E. Project) is a project of the Georgia Taxpayers Alliance which was founded by James Bell and Ron Williams who have supported and advocated for law reform for 25 years.

“We applaud Gov. Nathan Deal and the legislature for their courageous efforts to reform ineffective and costly laws we can no longer afford to sustain,” Bell stated in a news release. “Decades of 'get tough on drugs' legislation has cost taxpayer billions and has done little to solve real crime problems.”

The Georgia C.A.R.E. Project’s agenda will focus on a four point plan to:

• Establish a special study committee to focus specifically on marijuana laws;

• Reschedule the classification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II or lower

• Modernize Georgia’s medical marijuana access laws to allow for legal medical marijuana by doctor prescription or recommendation;

• Decriminalize a personal use amount to eliminate prosecution and incarceration

Ron Williams, a reform activist, said 18 states have allowed medical marijuana and two state have now legalized personal use amounts.

“Those states have led the way to show that we can decriminalize and medicalize marijuana and bring this substance under regulation and control without affecting public safety and save taxpayers dollars. It’s time to focus on this issue.”

The campaign has set up an educational website and Facebook page to connect with the public, media and lawmakers.

Earlier this month, a crowd of hundreds gathered to light up joints under the Space Needle in Seattle as recreational marijuana use officially became legal in the state of Washington.

A similar scene is likely to unfold on the streets of Denver in a couple of weeks as Colorado’s marijuana legalization law goes into effect.

In Washington, it is now legal for people to possess up to one ounce of the drug, which is illegal in most states, including Georgia.

While lighting up a joint at home – or in public – remains illegal in Georgia, we’d like to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Do you think our state should look at decriminalization? Does marijuna legalization in other states make it difficult for you to talk to your kids about the subject?

Share your thoughts in the comments section.