Georgia Medical Cannabis Program Finally Taking Shape

A long-delayed medical cannabis program may finally come together in Georgia, with state regulators reportedly We will be voting on the rules for producing and selling products.

Capitol Beat News Service Report “The Georgia Medical Cannabis Access Board said on Wednesday that the program will be expanded from growing leafy crops in greenhouses under close supervision to producing low-THC cannabis oil to treat patients suffering from a range of ailments. We will be voting on regulations that govern all aspects of offering products in our network of pharmacies throughout the state.”

The Medical Cannabis Board held a meeting last week at Lanier Institute of Technology in Gainesville, and the agency said from representatives of medical cannabis companies, “We are asking Georgia regulators to expedite the rules for the manufacture and distribution of the drug to registered patients. to approve it, but drug skeptics said that for stronger protection against illegal use.” Georgia public radio station WUGA reported.

This week’s expected action by the Medical Cannabis Board means that qualified patients in Georgia may soon be able to access treatment, years after it was legalized.

Legislators passed Haleigh’s Hope Act in 2015, making it legal to prescribe cannabis oil containing 5% or less THC (officially listed by the Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission) to patients who: as stated). website): “Cancer, if such a diagnosis is terminal or if treatment causes debilitating illness or refractory nausea and vomiting; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, if such a diagnosis is severe or terminal seizure disorder associated with a diagnosis of epilepsy or trauma-related head injury;multiple sclerosis, if such a diagnosis is severe or terminal;Crohn’s disease;mitochondrial disease;Parkinson’s disease, if such a diagnosis is sickle cell disease, if such diagnosis is severe or terminal; Tourette’s syndrome, if such syndrome is diagnosed as severe; autism spectrum disorder, (a) if the patient is 18 years of age; or (b) if the patient is under the age of 18 and is diagnosed with severe autism; epidermolysis bullosa; Alzheimer’s disease, if such disease is severe or terminal; AIDS in cases; severe or end-stage peripheral neuropathy; patient is enrolled in a hospice program as an inpatient or outpatient; [and] Post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from direct exposure to or witnessing trauma in patients over the age of 18. ”

The law was cemented in 2019 when Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill creating a Medical Cannabis Commission and establishing a regulatory framework for the program.

Since then, the number of registered patients eligible to receive cannabis oil has grown to more than 25,000, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

However, none of these patients can legally purchase oil in Georgia.

If the Medical Cannabis Board approves the regulation, which is expected to be voted on this week, “the two companies granted licenses to produce low-THC oil could start selling it to patients as early as this spring.” According to WUGA.

Capitol Beat News Service Report The Medical Cannabis Board “requests an increase of $125,000 in addition to the current fiscal 2023 budget of $908,000 to move the program forward,” which includes “each production licensee, plus It includes licenses to the five dispensing pharmacies permitted under the original law, each of which will be allowed to open as Georgia patient registrations eligible to receive oil surpass 25,000. ”