Washington is one of only four states in the country where recreational marijuana use is legal.

It seems like a long shot here in Georgia as the state continues to figure out the medical side of the issue.  But our exclusive 11Alive statewide poll tells us it may not be that far off.

According to the poll, 45-percent of people believe it should be legal, while 46-percent do not, so it's basically a dead heat.

During his trip to Washington, 11Alive’s Chris Hopper was told by people inside the industry that once medical works, recreational will soon follow.

Georgia doesn’t have the harshest marijuana laws in America, but they are far from friendly. If you get caught with more than 1 ounce of marijuana in Georgia, it’s a felony, punishable by up to ten years in jail and a $5,000 fine. There is another felony charge if the marijuana was possessed with intent to distribute (any amount), which also carries another penalty of up to ten years in jail and a $5,000 fine. I don’t know what the police are like in Georgia, but in most states law enforcement is quick to make the determination that there was intent to distribute, so I’d imagine often times those charges go together when people get caught.

ATLANTA -- The men and women who fight illegal drugs for a living say that if Georgia is going to allow the in-state growth of medical cannabis, the state needs to keep a lid on it.

"We do oppose all cultivation" of cannabis, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson, president of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, said at a state hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Sheriffs had also opposed the new law this year that allows some Georgians to possess a kind of liquid medicine derived from cannabis.

State law enforcement officials said Wednesday that any expansion of medical marijuana in Georgia will need extensive regulations to protect patients and to be sure the system isn’t exploited.

GBI Director Vernon Keenan and others said if the state makes marijuana broadly available for medical reasons it should mirror federal pharmaceutical law that requires extensive testing and monitoring of controlled substances.

Keenan and leaders of the state sheriffs’ association told members of a special commission studying the issue that doing otherwise will lead to abuse.

Pushing for more outreach to black and Latino families about the state’s new medical marijuana law, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus began a series of hearings Tuesday meant to inform new policy recommendations when the Legislature starts back in January.

“The governor put together a commission but that commission was not inclusive of all of Georgia,” said state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, D-Lithonia, who has been critical of the new Commission on Medical Cannabis for what she said is its lack of diversity.

Alaska

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Alaska include:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Cachexia (wasting syndrome)
• Nausea
• Muscle spasms
• Multiple sclerosis
• Pain
• Seizures

For a complete list of qualifying conditions and guidelines, please refer to Alaska’s application for medical marijuana registry

Arizona

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Arizona include:

Georgia-based clinical trials have shown early promise in using cannabis oil to treat epileptic seizures, although researchers said they won’t know for sure until at least the end of next year what strides they have made in the study of medical marijuana.

The update came Wednesday during the latest meeting of the state’s Commission on Medical Cannabis, formed earlier this year to study the effect of Georgia’s new medical marijuana law and whether it should be expanded to allow growers to harvest and distribute cannabis oil in-state.

Georgia for the first time this year approved a limited medical marijuana law to help some of the state’s most dire patients — many of them children. It only allows families to possess cannabis oil, making no attempt to address the oil’s manufacture or how to buy or obtain it.

Now, parents and advocates want lawmakers to go one step further: Allow growers to harvest and distribute cannabis oil in-state.

The newly formed Georgians for Freedom in Healthcare vowed Tuesday to lobby full force at the state Capitol once lawmakers convene again in January —echoing advocacy efforts from years past that finally won passage of Georgia’s landmark law.

A group of parents and advocates is set to announce a new effort next week calling for Georgia to expand its medical marijuana law and allow growers to harvest and distribute their product in-state.

Georgians for Freedom in Healthcare plans to make a formal announcement about the effort Tuesday at the state Capitol with an eye toward the upcoming legislative session that starts in January.

Georgia for the first time this year formally approved the use of a limited form of cannabis oil to treat illnesses including cancer, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. More than 200 families have since qualified for the state’s new medical marijuana registry, allowing them to use the oil for treatment.

Sullivan Chainey is a veteran of the United States armed forces. And not just any veteran, but one that started at the lowest rung the Air Force had to offer him and climbed nearly all the way to the top. Though Sullivan started his career as a lowly Private he quickly mastered his new trade as a pharmacy technician and decided he needed bigger challenges. By the time he was ready to retire 20 years later Sullivan had not only earned the rank of Captain with a full commission, but he was also a United States Air Force pilot and a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Sullivan Chainey is the kind of veteran that people back home hold parades for when they return from war.