New Marriage Age, Medical Marijuana Laws Take Effect Monday

ATLANTA -- Several new laws take effect July 1 in Georgia, and two of them deal with high-profile, often emotional issues. Medical marijuana remains a hot-button issue in the GOP-dominated, mostly conservative Peach State, but Georgia lawmakers have loosened restrictions in recent years for the drug to be used to lessen the after-effects of seizures and other conditions.

Previously, Georgia allowed the use of THC cannabis oil but did not allow for the production of the oil within the state. Now, on Monday, that loophole closes, and Georgia is set to join 33 other states, including the District of Columbia, to legalize medical marijuana, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

The bill, which can be read here, also sets up a commission that would oversee the industry and licensing of private companies that produce the oil. It would also license pharmacies and companies to sell the THC cannabis oil to patients.

The bill does not legalize the overall use of recreational marijuana in Georgia.

Another bill that goes into effect Monday is a law changing Georgia's minimum marriage age from 16 to 17. Lawmakers believe House Bill 228 will help protect children from domestic violence and human trafficking, an issue which captured state lawmakers' attention earlier this year during Atlanta's Super Bowl.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is "modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act." Human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling, which involves illegal transportation of a person across a border.

According to the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education (GRACE) Commission, there are 1.5 million human trafficking victims in the U.S., most of which are children. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently named Atlanta as one of the 14 cities with abnormally high rates of human trafficking.

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