Covington Police Chief Stacey Cotton has been named one of 11 members named to Gov. Nathan Deal’s new panel charged with making recommendations about what type of medical marijuana use Georgia should allow.

The Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis was created by a law passed this session allowing people with certain medical conditions to legally possess cannabis oil in-state with their doctors' approval.

Commission members also include that law's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Allen Peake of Macon, along with representatives from medicine and law enforcement.

“I am honored that Governor Deal appointed me to the Medical Cannabis Commission,” Cotton said.  I know that the task before this commission is a very important one for the State of Georgia and I gladly accept this challenge.  I will work hard to represent the City of Covington, the Covington Police Department and my colleagues in Law Enforcement who are looking for clear direction in the administration of this newly enacted legislation.”

The commission must submit a report by the end of the year.

Some have pushed for laws that would permit the federally prohibited plant's growth in Georgia, arguing that the legislation passed this year doesn't protect people while transporting the oil from other states where it can be produced and sold.

Cotton currently serves as the police chief for the City of Covington. He is the past president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and is the current president of A Child’s Voice Child Advocacy Center in Social Circle. Cotton is also a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Mercer University and dual master’s degree in both Public Administration and Criminal Justice from Troy University. Cotton and his wife, Lana Lane, have three children.