Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3A
Lawmakers want ag department
involved in cannabis oil program
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The Georgia Depart
ment of Agriculture
should play a role in the
state’s fledgling medi
cal marijuana program, a
member of a legislative
oversight committee said
Monday.
“This is an agricultural
product. We’re an agricul
tural state,” Georgia Rep.
Micah Gravley, R-Doug-
lasville, said during the
inaugural meeting of the
Medical Cannabis Com
mission Oversight Com
mittee. “Having them in
volved going forward is a
good thing.”
Gravley was chief
sponsor of legislation the
General Assembly passed
two years ago creating
a state commission to
award licenses to com
panies to grow marijuana
and convert the leaf crop
into low-THC cannabis
oil.
The oil is intended to
treat patients with a vari
ety of diseases including
cancer, seizure disorders,
multiple sclerosis, amy
otrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS), Crohn’s disease,
Parkinson’s disease, mi
tochondrial disease and
sickle-cell anemia.
The 2019 law also es
tablished a legislative
oversight committee to
monitor the program. But
the oversight panel didn’t
meet for the first time un
til Monday due to delays
the seven-member state
commission has encoun
tered getting the program
off the ground.
The commission took
until this summer to
award cannabis oil pro
duction licenses to six
companies.
Two “Class 1” licensees
will be authorized to grow
marijuana under close su
pervision in up to 100,000
square feet of space. Four
other companies received
“Class 2” licenses lim
iting them to no more
than 50,000 square feet of
growing space.
While Georgia Agricul
ture Commissioner Gary
Black has been a strong
supporter of the state’s
hemp farming program,
he has been cool toward
the Peach State getting
into the cannabis oil busi
ness.
However, with Black
now seeking next year’s
Republican nomination
for the U.S. Senate, Geor
gia likely will have a new
agriculture chief after the
2022 elections.
Rep. Sam Watson,
R-Moultrie, said Utah’s
agriculture department is
playing an active role in
that state’s cannabis oil
program, which Georgia
is looking to as a model.
Both states permit
only low-THC in canna
bis oil, far below a level
that would make a user
“high,” and neither permit
recreational use of mari
juana.
Watson said getting the
agriculture department
involved in Georgia’s
program is “definitely a
conversation to be had.”
The commission, mean
while, has been working
on responses to seven
protests filed by compa
nies whose bids for Class
1 licenses were rejected
and 14 protests filed by
bidders rejected for Class
2 licenses.
While that process
continues, Gravley said
the oversight committee
should move as quickly as
possible to identify labs
that can test the licensees’
cannabis oil for quality
and compliance with the
low-THC requirement.
“Having a variety of
labs available to culti
vators would be a good
thing,” he said. “There are
those who are in need of
this oil.”
Georgia Democrats call for mask
mandates on college campuses
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
Democrats on the Georgia House High
er Education Committee urged Gov. Bri
an Kemp Monday to drop his opposition
to mask mandates and leave the decision
to administrators at the state’s public col
leges and universities.
The lawmakers’ plea came as Univer
sity System of Georgia professors and
students launched a weeklong series of
demonstrations on campuses across the
state demanding mask mandates to pre
vent the spread of COVID-19.
“We need our leaders to fight against
the virus, not against our students and fac
ulty,” said Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilbum.
“A leader makes decisions,” added Rep.
Rhonda Burnough, D-Riverdale, “Geor
gia needs a leader, not a follower.”
Kemp has held firm against imposing
statewide mask mandates on either col
lege campuses or K-12 classrooms in
Georgia, criticizing such requirements as
divisive.
He and other Republican governors also
have strongly objected to an executive or
der President Joe Biden issued late last
week requiring all federal employees to
get vaccinated against COVID-19 and any
employers with 100 or more employees to
make sure they get the shots or are tested
regularly for the virus.
GOP opponents have argued the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Adminis
tration lacks the legal authority to enforce
such workplace mandates, and a legal
challenge is expected.
Last week, university system Acting
Chancellor Teresa MacCartney defended
Kemp’s position on mask mandates. She
said campus administrators have worked
hard to put all necessary health and safety
protocols in place for students returning
for in-person classes this semester.
The system is encouraging but not re
quiring students and professors to wear
masks and get vaccinated.
But Clark, who holds a doctorate in
microbiology from Emory University,
said nothing works to prevent the spread
of COVID-19 better than making mask
wearing and vaccinations mandatory.
“We have data [showing] that mask
mandates work. We also know vaccines
work,” she said. “The more people we
have vaccinated on our campuses, the bet
ter we’re able to stop the virus.”
Georgia Farm Bureau accepting
entries for hay contest, hay directory
Georgia Farm Bureau
(GFB) members who grow
Bermudagrass hay are en
couraged to enter the 2021
GFB Quality Hay Contest,
leaders have announced.
Hay entered in the contest
will be tested at a University of
Georgia lab using the Relative
Forage Quality (RFQ) Test,
which provides an analysis of
the nutritional value of the hay,
according to a news release.
Winners will be determined
by the RFQ analysis. The
deadline to enter is Oct. 31.
Winners of the contest will
be announced in December.
Prizes will be presented to the
top five producers. The first-
place winner will receive the
free use of a Vermeer 604R
baler for one year, courtesy of
the Vermeer Manufacturing
Company. The winner will
have the option to purchase
the baler at a reduced price at
the end of the year.
Contest rules, applications
and instructions for submitting
samples are available at Bar-
row County Farm Bureau of
fice or may be downloaded at
www.gfb.ag/HayContest. All
hay entered must have been
grown in Geoigia on a field
with at least 25 days of matu
rity or regrowth. Hay samples
should be naturally dried in
the field and taken from the
center of at least five different
bales (rolls or squares) that
come from the same field, ac
cording to the release.
There is a $20 entry fee for
each sample entered in the
contest to cover the cost of the
lab analysis. Hay producers
may enter more than one sam
ple and will receive RFQ anal
ysis for all samples submitted.
Contestants submitting mul
tiple samples, however, may
only place in the contest’s top
five for the sample with the
highest RFQ score.
Checks to cover the entry
fee should be made payable
to Georgia Farm Bureau. En
try fees, forms and samples
should be sent to the GFB
Public Policy Department
1620 Bass Road Macon, Ga.,
31210. Entry fees, forms and
samples may also be taken
to your county Farm Bureau
office.
Previous first-place winners
of the GFB Hay Contest may
enter their samples for the pur
pose of having them officially
analyzed but are not eligible to
win any prizes in the contest
for three years after winning,
according to the release.
GFB is also accepting list
ings for its online hay direc
tory. Farm Bureau members
with hay for sale or who offer
custom harvesting or custom
sprigging services are in
vited to fist their hay and/or
services in the GFB Quality
Hay Directory published on
the GFB website. Hay for
sale or services can be listed
or removed from the directo
ry throughout the year.
To be included in GFB’s
online hay directory, com
plete a submission form by
visiting your county Farm
Bureau office or online at
www.gfb.ag/hay . Hay pro
ducers who enter the GFB
Quality Hay Contest receive
a free listing in the GFB Hay
Directory. Hay producers
who don’t enter the hay con
test but would like to list their
hay for sale should include
a $10 check made payable
to Georgia Farm Bureau for
each listing of hay, custom
harvesting or custom sprig
ging. Multiple listings are
allowed, according to the
release.
Train Day event set for Saturday
The Barrow County Historical So- um in downtown Winder from 10 a.m.
ciety will be hosting another Train to 1 p.m. Sept. 18.
Day event at the Gainesville-Midland All are welcome to attend, organiz-
#208 steam engine and caboose muse- ers said.
Events planned at public libraries
around county over next week
The following upcom
ing events are planned at
the Auburn, Statham and
Winder public libraries
over the next week.
AUBURN
•’’Pirate Paaaarrrr-
rghty” — 11 a.m. to
noon Saturday, Sept. 18.
Crafts, story time and
more.
•Crochet/Knit Club —
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon
day, Sept. 20. Held week
ly every Monday.
•Ready to Read Pre-K
Story Time — 11 a.m. to
noon Monday, Sept. 20.
Uses stories, rhymes and
songs to teach early liter
acy concepts. Ages 2 and
up with a caregiver. Held
weekly every Monday.
•Teen Monday —
5-6 p.m. Monday, Sept.
20. Held every Monday,
with activities ranging
from games, to crafts, to
Anime Club, to trivia and
more. Ages 12-19 wel
come.
•Lap Sit Story Time —
11 a.m. to noon Wednes
day, Sept. 22. Designed
for ages birth to 2, chil
dren are introduced to
board books and sensory
toys as well as rhymes
and songs. Held every
Wednesday.
The library is located
at 24 5th St. Its hours are
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon
days through Fridays,
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Satur
days and closed Sundays.
For more information,
call the library at 770-
513-2925.
STATHAM
•Homeschool Hangout
— 1-3 p.m. Friday, Sept.
17. Wi-Fi, books, board
games, Legos and com
puters are available for
use.
•Lapsit Story Time —
10:30-11 a.m. Monday,
Sept. 20. Ages birth to 24
months.
•Ready to Read Pre-K
Story Time — 10:30-
11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept.
22.
The library is a pass
port acceptance facility
where people can apply
for a passport.
Patrons also have the
opportunity to get free
tickets to the Atlanta Zoo,
the Carlos Museum, Bre
men Museum, the Chat
tahoochee Nature Center
and the Go Fish Center.
The library is locat
ed at 1928 Railroad St.
Its hours are 10 a.m. to
7 p.m. Mondays through
Thursdays, 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Saturdays and
closed Sundays.
For more information,
call the library at 770-
725-4785.
WINDER
•Ready to Read Story
Time — 10:30-11 a.m.
Thursday, Sept. 16. Sto
ries, songs, finger-plays
and movement. Ages 3-5
with a caregiver. Siblings
are welcome.
•Maker Monday Kids’
Craft Day — Monday,
Sept. 20. Elephant crafts.
All ages with a caregiver.
While supplies last.
•Lap Sit Story Time —
10:30-11 a.m. Tuesday,
Sept. 21. Stories, songs,
finger plays and move
ment. Ages birth to 2
with a caregiver. Siblings
are welcome.
•Teen Painting —
4-5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.
21. Celebrating Bob
Ross. Held the third
Tuesday of every month.
Ages 12-18. While sup
plies last.
The library is located at
189 Bellview St. Its hours
are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon
days through Thursdays,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays,
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Satur
days and closed Sundays.
For more information,
call the library at 770-
867-2762.
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