Georgia Today — September 25, 2025

Host: Orlando Montoya (GPB News)
Episode Focus:

• Georgia's Medical Marijuana Policy and Legislative Review
• Macon Kicks Off Pride Week with Community Art and Events
• Fate of Retired Laboratory Chimpanzees in Georgia

Episode Overview

This episode dives into three central stories shaping Georgia’s landscape: a legislative look at medical marijuana policy, Macon's vibrant Pride Week celebration, and the unique challenges and rewards of rehoming former laboratory chimpanzees. Along the way, the episode also touches briefly on state Medicaid policy, environmental concerns regarding wildlife, maternal health initiatives, and community development.

Key Topics and Insights

1. Medical Marijuana in Georgia: Policy and Critique

[02:38–03:30]

• The Georgia House Blue Ribbon Study Committee met at Mercer University in Macon to review the state's medical marijuana policy.

• Georgia’s first medical marijuana law is now a decade old, but access is still extremely limited: only six licensed producers, and only for patients with severe or terminal illnesses.

• Micah Gravelly, a former state representative who co-sponsored the original bill, advocated for expansion, emphasizing the frustration patients face in accessing medical cannabis.

  “I carried the bill and my own father doesn't even know and he doesn't even qualify.”
  — Micah Gravelly [03:16]

• Educational and advertising provisions for medical marijuana were deliberately excluded prior to the bill’s passage, limiting public awareness.

Memorable Moment: Gravelly’s reflection on his father’s inability to access medical marijuana—despite his own role in passing the law—highlighted the gap between legislative intent and practical access.

2. Macon Pride Week: Building Community Through Art

[03:30–04:31]

• Macon launches a four-day Pride Week, starting with an art exhibit at the Tubman African American Museum highlighting LGBTQ leaders.

• The “Unity Project,” a community yarn art piece, allows participants to connect their personal identities (e.g., “I'm gay,” “I'm a Macon native,” “I'm an ally”) literally and figuratively.

  “Each person who strings a piece of colored yarn across their identifiers will cross other strands to show how our own individual experiences, our life paths kind of come together and creates this beautiful network of community.”
  — Ty Battle, Macon Pride board [04:25]

• The Unity Project will feature at Sunday’s annual “Pride in the Park” street fair, closing out the week’s celebration.

Memorable Moment: The host and Ty Battle emphasize the visual and symbolic representation of their intertwined community experiences through the Unity Project.

3. Retiring Lab Chimps: Sanctuary at Project Chimps

[08:59–11:46]

• US laboratories have stopped experimenting on chimpanzees, but many remain in lab environments, ill-equipped for the wild and in need of sanctuary.

• Chris Dyer, a behaviorist at Project Chimps in Blue Ridge, Georgia, helps former lab chimps adjust to group life and new socialization challenges.

  “These guys can't go back into the wild. … Some of them have never, they've never touched grass.”
  — Grant Blankenship (reporting) [08:59]

• Chimps from the New Iberia Research Center are being integrated into established groups through careful, gradual introductions.

  “Coming from a lab, they may not always have the best chimpanzee communication skills.”
  — Chris Dyer [09:23]

  “We need to slowly integrate these guys into our larger group. … Chimps can be very territorial. They have alliances. They need to build friendships.”
  — Grant Blankenship [09:56]

• Observations of chimp behavior (“We play chase. They were doing the follow the leader…”) signal successful integration steps.

  “All of their vocals and all of the behaviors today were telling me that this is going very well for these two chimps.”
  — Chris Dyer [11:38]

Memorable Moment: The careful, hopeful process of two chimps—Kirk and Adam—learning to play and socialize together after years in isolation.

Supplementary News Briefs and Notable Quotes

• Medicaid Pathways Extension ([00:40–01:30])

  • Georgia’s limited Medicaid expansion (Pathways to Coverage) extended through 2026.
  • Critics cite high admin costs, low enrollment.

    “Failed president supporting a failed policy so there's no real surprise there to continue promoting these particular policies that will not work for Georgians.”
    — Ty Battle [01:23]

• Environmental Concern: Sea Turtles ([04:31–05:23])

  • Bright lights from a new Buc-ee’s threaten nesting sea turtles 12 miles away.

    “Artificial light impacts both nesting females who are deterred from nesting, as well as hatchlings, which become misoriented… and we see mortalities as a result.”
    — Katherine Ridley, 100 Miles [05:08]

• Maternal Health and Guaranteed Income ([06:07–06:40])

  • A pilot provides $1,000/month gift cards to pregnant women in Atlanta as part of a maternal health equity study.

    “That’s what in these three months, that's what we've seen from the metrics of the card, what the women are using.”
    — Katherine Ridley (reading report) [06:27]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Medicaid Pathways News: 00:40–01:30
• Medical Marijuana Study Committee: 02:38–03:30
• Macon Pride Week & Unity Project: 03:30–04:31
• Sea Turtle Environmental Issue: 04:31–05:23
• Maternal Health Guaranteed Income: 06:07–06:40
• Lab Chimps/Project Chimps Integration: 08:59–11:46

Closing Note

The episode blends policy, community celebration, wildlife advocacy, and human stories—each segment giving listeners a unique view into the present challenges and hopeful initiatives in Georgia. For extended coverage, the host invites listeners to visit GPB’s website or watch related videos online.

For more information or the video of Kirk and Adam, visit gpb.org/news.