Regulators in Georgia have opened the door for medical cannabis patients in the state to have far greater access to treatment. 

The state Board of Pharmacy “has released a set of regulations that will allow Georgia’s independent pharmacies to dispense cannabis oil to eligible patients enrolled in a registry maintained by the state Department of Public Health,” according to Northwest Georgia News.

The outlet reports that state regulators have “granted manufacturing licenses thus far to two companies.” 

“Trulieve Georgia and Botanical Sciences LLC have begun producing cannabis oil and have opened dispensaries in Marietta and Macon, with more to come,” according to the outlet. “Separate from those dispensaries, the 2019 law also authorizes independent pharmacies to sell cannabis oil to eligible patients.”

“This gives an opportunity for virtually every community to have access,” said Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, which oversees the medical cannabis program, as quoted by Northwest Georgia News. 

“They set a pathway for independent pharmacies to apply and subject these pharmacies to inspection and regulation for this medicine,” he added.

Lawmakers in the Peach State first legalized medical cannabis treatment with the passage of Haleigh’s Hope Act in 2015, which granted eligible patients access to low-THC cannabis oil. 

The state General Assembly followed that up with “Georgia’s Hope Act” in 2019, “which authorizes the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee the regulated licensing of limited, in-state cultivation, production, manufacturing, and sale of low-THC oil as well as dispensing to registered patients on the state’s Low-THC Oil Registry,” according to the state Access to Medical Cannabis Commission’s official website. 

After Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law that spring, the commission was “administratively attached for budget, procurement, and human resources support…to the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State,” the government website says.

According to the website, patients with the following conditions are eligible for cannabis oil prescriptions: “Cancer, when such diagnosis is end stage or the treatment produces related wasting illness or recalcitrant nausea and vomiting; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Seizure disorders related to diagnosis of epilepsy or trauma related head injuries; Multiple sclerosis, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Crohn’s disease; Mitochondrial disease; Parkinson’s disease, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Sickle cell disease, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Tourette’s syndrome, when such syndrome is diagnosed as severe; Autism spectrum disorder, when (a) patient is 18 years of age or more, or (b) patient is less than 18 years of age and diagnosed with severe autism; Epidermolysis bullosa; Alzheimer’s disease, when such disease is severe or end stage; AIDS when such syndrome is severe or end stage; Peripheral neuropathy, when symptoms are severe or end stage; Patient is in hospice program, either as inpatient or outpatient; Intractable pain; [and] Post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from direct exposure to or witnessing of a trauma for a patient who is at least 18 years of age.”

But the state’s thousands of eligible patients were unable to obtain the cannabis oil until earlier this year, when the first two medical cannabis dispensaries opened for business last month. 

Trulieve, a medical cannabis company, operates both of those dispensaries, which are located in the towns of Macon and Marietta.

“We believe that access to medical cannabis improves lives, and Trulieve is proud to be the first to provide that access to the state of Georgia,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers in a press release at the time of the opening. “We look forward to providing high quality products and an elite experience.”

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There are nearly 30,000 registered medical cannabis patients in Georgia, but for years, they have had no option to legally purchase and obtain the product they have been prescribed.

That changed on Friday, when the state’s first medical marijuana dispensaries opened their doors for business.

The medical cannabis company Trulieve is behind each retailer, located in Macon and Marietta. 

“We believe that access to medical cannabis improves lives, and Trulieve is proud to be the first to provide that access to the state of Georgia,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers in a press release. “We look forward to providing high quality products and an elite experience.”

Georgia lawmakers legalized medical cannabis treatment in 2015 with the passage of the Haleigh’s Hope Act. The bill made it legal for physicians to prescribe cannabis oil with no more than 5% THC to patients suffering from a host of qualifying conditions. Those conditions, via the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission, are: “Cancer, when such diagnosis is end stage or the treatment produces related wasting illness or recalcitrant nausea and vomiting; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Seizure disorders related to diagnosis of epilepsy or trauma related head injuries; Multiple sclerosis, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Crohn’s disease; Mitochondrial disease; Parkinson’s disease, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Sickle cell disease, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage; Tourette’s syndrome, when such syndrome is diagnosed as severe; Autism spectrum disorder, when (a) patient is 18 years of age or more, or (b) patient is less than 18 years of age and diagnosed with severe autism; Epidermolysis bullosa; Alzheimer’s disease, when such disease is severe or end stage; AIDS when such syndrome is severe or end stage; Peripheral neuropathy, when symptoms are severe or end stage; Patient is in hospice program, either as inpatient or outpatient; Intractable pain; [and] Post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from direct exposure to or witnessing of a trauma for a patient who is at least 18 years of age.”

But the law’s full implementation has been beset by regulatory delays, even as the number of registered medical cannabis patients in the state has continued to grow. There are currently around 27,000 Georgians registered in the program. 

“Today is a new beginning for the over 27,000 registered medical patients Georgia,” Rivers said in Friday’s press release. “Trulieve is equally thrilled and humbled to bring the first two medical cannabis dispensaries in the state serving both Macon and Marietta communities in their health and wellness journey.”

In addition to the dispensaries in Macon and Marietta, Trulieve has plans to open three more in the state this year in Columbus, Newnan and Pooler. 

“I’m proud to open two dispensaries in both Macon and Marietta for patients to begin receiving the medicine they need,” Lisa Pinkney, president of Trulieve Georgia, said in Friday’s announcement. “I also want to congratulate the commission along with the whole Trulieve Georgia team on reaching this milestone after the hard work to date and thank both teams for moving expeditiously to approve the dispensary application and conduct the dispensary inspections.”

In March, Georgia lawmakers advanced a bill that would increase the number of available medical cannabis dispensary licenses from six to 15.

According to Axios, medical cannabis customers in the state “sign in and show their photo ID state-issued registry card to the receptionist” at the dispensary, and then “enter a showroom that looks like a cross between a jewelry store and a Gen Z-friendly wealth management firm.” 

“The stores carry tinctures ($40-$60) and capsules ($40) in indica, sativa and hybrid varieties and topical ointments ($30),” Axios reported. “Medical cannabis in Georgia is limited to 5% THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gives users a high.”

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