Medical marijuana is coming to Georgia. A bill that would legalize the drug for limited medicinal purposes passed the Georgia House Wednesday and is expected to be signed by Gov. Nathan Deal. Georgia would become the 24th U.S. state to approve the use of medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana(Photo: 13WMAZ)

Georgia Senate discusses medical-marijuana bill (Photo: Karli Barnett, 13\WMAZ)

UPDATE: The Georgia Senate passed state Rep. Allen Peake's medical-marijuana bill. It heads back to the House for final approval, expected this week.

The Senate approved just one amendment, which would allow employers to prevent workers from having and using medical marijuana.

Peake told the media Tuesday afternoon that he is "overjoyed" and will work next year to allow medical marijuana to be grown in Georgia.

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Today could be the day of decision for Allen Peake's bill to allow medical marjiuana in Georgia.

The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly passed a medical marijuana bill, but one with major stipulations and is much more limiting than the House Bill that passed a few weeks ago.

The bill sets up a five-year scientific study involving only people under 21 with seizure disorders. A key senator promised to meld it with a broader House bill.

Sen. Lindsey Tippins’ (R-Macon), the author of the bill watched as his bill was approved in a 54-1 vote Friday after an hour debate session. Tippins said he wants more evidence that the remedy is effective.

“I want to protect our children,” he said. “We must gather a conclusive body of evidence.”

ATLANTA  -- Sebastien and Annett Cotte don't plan to come home to Atlanta from Denver until after their 4-year-old son Jagger dies -- or the Georgia Legislature passes a bill making medicinal marijuana legal.

At 15 months, doctors told the Cottes their son wouldn't make it to 3, then that he'd never see 4. But he did, and a few months ago they moved to Colorado, where marijuana use is legal, and began to treat his seizures with cannabis oil, his dad said Monday. "He has fewer seizures, but we can't come home if we don't have a bill."

It is unlikely that Georgia legislators won't pass some kind of bill; the question is what it will allow. The General Assembly has two radically different bills in front of it; only one of them would make cannabis oil available soon.

(Reuters) - A bill that would legalize medical marijuana in Georgia for patients with seizure disorders and other medical conditions cleared a big hurdle on Wednesday when the state House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the legislation.

The bill, which faltered last year on the last day of the legislative session, passed the House by a vote of 158-2 and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

It would allow patients with diseases including cancer and multiple sclerosis to use a non-intoxicating oil derived from the marijuana plant.