vol1 - Page 126
Page 126
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during ajoint press conference with Speaker of the Georgia
Houses Tom _rphy,_held in support of Georgia_s Jq4arijuana-as_
Medicine # bill stated:
I am here today to speak in favor of
legislation that is to be introduced in the
1980 General Assembly to facilitate the
medical use of marijuana in the treatment of
_ _ cancer patients who are receiving
chemotherapy treatments [sic]° Although
chemotherapy is a proven cancer treatment
methods it usually has devastating side
effects_ Most patients become very ill with
nausea and repeated vomiting_ snd grow
_ increasingly weak and debilitated as the
treatments continue. However_ marijuana has
repeatedly been found to provide relief from
these side effects. Sixteen states have
already legislatively provided for the
limited medical use of marijuana, and twenty-
........ one [sic_ states_ in addition to Georgia_ are
considering such legislationo X_/
As Mona Taft, the young widow who spearheaded Georgia0s
efforts to evade federal Schedule I restrictions and was later
employed by theGeorgia Department of Health as a Consultant to
the Composite State Board of Medical Examiners and the Georgia
Patient Qualification Review Board to assist in implementation of
the Georgia mMarijuana-as-Medicine x program states:
The intent of the Georgia law was clear: To
legally provide seriously ill cancer and
glaucoma patients with medically supervised
access to marijuana for use in o . . therapy.
However, in order to comply with federal
procedures_ and in order to obtain federal
supplies of marijuanas the Georgia law-like
the law in New Mexico and elsewhere, was
crafted as a "research program. _ Whether
called Xresearch# or not, the purpose of the
law was to assist patients in obtaining
marijuana for their medical use. If research
18_/ Affidavit of Mona Taft, _ 68 (quoting Statement of Lto
Gov. Fell Miller, Dec_ 17, 1979 -_ attached as Exhibit C).
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