The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Sept. 27 that its previously recorded data regarding the number of medical cannabis patients is actually less than expected.

The state found “anomalies” that inflated its patient and caregiver numbers, which originally was projected to be about 50,000 patients. This number was still taking into account patients whose cards have expired or those who have passed away since 2015, and now a more accurate 14,000 reflects the true patient count, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam further explained the cause of inflated numbers.

“DPH identified a number of anomalies within the registry data including patients with duplicate cards, patients who were counted as caregivers, expired cards that had not been renewed but remained in the system, and some patients who were deceased.”

The reason that this wasn’t discovered sooner is because this year, Georgia opened its first medical cannabis dispensaries. Two Trulieve dispensaries opened in late April, and there are now a total of six operating dispensaries.

Nydam added that DPH Commissioner Kathleen Toomey has since ordered an audit of the medical cannabis registry.

A brief review of the Low THC Oil Registry requires medical providers to remove patients once they stop receiving care, or pass away. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that reporting this ceased after 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is no automated system to keep track of the patient or caregiver count.

Georgia’s medical cannabis program started in 2015 with “Haleigh’s Hope Act.” It permitted the use of medical cannabis to treat conditions such as end-stage cancer, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, mitochondrial disease, Parkinson’s disease, and sickle cell disease. However, it didn’t implement any kind of protection for the patient, especially in expecting an employer to accommodate medical cannabis consumption.

Patients must receive approval from a physician in order to treat these medical conditions, and only have access to oil that contains no more than 5% THC. Cards only cost $25 for two years.

Botanical Sciences CEO Gary Long, head of one of the medical cannabis dispensaries in Georgia, explained his frustration for the inaccurate numbers. “It is disappointing to find out that the information the state has provided is inaccurate,” Long told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Our focus should be on how we move past this in a cohesive way that increases awareness of this industry in our state and the availability of these therapeutic products for patients in need.”

In July, the DPH reported 30,600 active patients, when there are actually only 13,000. For caregivers who may legally obtain cannabis for a patient, there were an estimated 21,000. Now, the number has decreased to only 1,200. Additionally, an estimated 3,400 patients have passed away out of the 17,600 patients whose cards expired or were canceled.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the DPH has made similar data collecting mistakes in regards to COVID-19 numbers. The news outlet pointed out how the list of children who died from COVID was incomplete and that drive-up testing sites weren’t recording accurate race data.

For cannabis though, the patient numbers have risen over the past few months now that medical cannabis dispensaries have begun operation. However, updated numbers won’t be provided by the DPH until the audit is complete.

Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission Andrew Turnage commented on the rising number of patients. “The demand is certainly there for patients in need,” said Andrew Turnage, executive director for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. “We know there are a significant number of patients in Georgia with the appropriate and applicable diagnosis, but the registry growth is happening slower than anticipated.”

In the future, the DPH has already begun to fix the issue of deceased patients being counted as cardholders. Now the DPH also plans to analyze its data twice a year to remove expired cards, and no longer need it to be done by medical providers.

In August, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that there’s a backlog of 558 medical cannabis applications waiting to be verified. One Georgia mother, Kim Srkiba, uses cannabis to treat her 24-year-old son’s seizures. She told the outlet that she applied for the card in April and didn’t get approval for more than four months. “I’ve been trying to skimp on it so that it would last. We’ve had a little bit of an increase in seizures, so that’s awful,” explained Skriba. “Life with a special needs child or adult is not easy. When the state makes things harder for you, it just adds difficulty and stress to the whole situation.”

At the time, DPH interim director of health protection Chris Rustin, expressed a need to expedite the process. “We had to make it much more convenient for the public to have access to pick up these cards,” Rustin said. “These improvements will certainly help us improve the process and issue these cards quicker for the public that needs it.”

The post Georgia Department of Health Reports Discovery of Inflated Cannabis Patient Number appeared first on High Times.

The post Georgia Department of Health Reports Discovery of Inflated Cannabis Patient Number appeared first on Paradise Found.

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDHO) recently announced its initiative to allow residents to apply for medical cannabis card registration online. The Rhode Island Cannabis Licensing Portal went live as of June 1, which covers a basic foundation for new and existing patients.

“The new system, known as the Rhode Island Cannabis Licensing Portal, lets existing card holders renew registrations, update personal information, and make necessary changes to their existing registration cards,” the press release states. “New patients applying for a medical marijuana registration card will now apply through the Cannabis Licensing Portal as well.”

A press release announced the launch of the program on June 1 and specified that the previous system was “entirely paper-based.” Now applications can be approved or denied within 35 days of submitting an application.

As the new system rolls out, the press release adds that they will eventually phase out mail-based notifications, but did not provide an end date. “RIDOH will stop mailing registration reminders and renewal forms in the coming months,” the announcement explained. “It is very important that patients create an account in the portal to be sure they get important messages and updates from RIDOH, including renewal reminders 60 days before the expiration date.”

Rhode Island’s medical cannabis program was enacted in 2006, according to a breakdown by Americans for Safe Access. At the time, patients were legally allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, could cultivate up to 12 plants at home, and could appoint two caregivers, and only eight medical conditions qualified for medical cannabis. The state did not establish a foundation for medical dispensary access for almost seven years. In 2011, former Gov. Lincoln Chafee suspended licensing for compassion centers, but licensing resumed in 2012, and compassion centers began to open by 2013. After that, state officials helped expand the list of qualifying conditions and slowly began to roll out new rules.

The state’s recreational cannabis sales began much more recently, in December 2022. During the first week, with only five retailers operating at the time, the industry collected $1.6 million in sales. The total is broken up into recreational sales ($786,000) and medical cannabis ($845,400). Between February and March, the state collected $8.7 million in total sales, with a split of $3.3 million in medical cannabis sales and $5.3 million in recreational cannabis sales.

In December 2022, the medical cannabis patient count sat at 15,062, but has declined slightly following recreational cannabis legalization. In January 2023, there were 14,590 registered patients, followed by a slight increase of 14,673 in February, and then a decrease to 13,691 in March.

In a statement from Gov. Dan McKee, who signed the recreational cannabis bill earlier that year in May, he praised the potential of Rhode Island’s expansion into recreational cannabis. “This bill successfully incorporates our priorities of making sure cannabis legalization is equitable, controlled, and safe,” said McKee. “In addition, it creates a process for the automatic expungement of past cannabis convictions. My Administration’s original legalization plan also included such a provision and I am thrilled that the Assembly recognized the importance of this particular issue. The end result is a win for our state both socially and economically.”

Most recently, McKee nominated three individuals in May to take part in a regulatory panel that “will oversee the regulation, licensing and control of adult use and medical cannabis in the Ocean State.” McKee’s appointed chair of the panel, Kimberly Ahern, expressed her hope to continue the “good work” that has been accomplished by regulators so far in her state. “The first six months of adult-use have demonstrated our state’s success in carefully expanding into this new industry,” Ahern said. “I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners to regulate cannabis in a manner that is safe, transparent and equitable in the years going forward.”

The post Rhode Island Ushers In New Era for Medical Weed Patients with Digital Applications appeared first on High Times.

The post Rhode Island Ushers In New Era for Medical Weed Patients with Digital Applications appeared first on Paradise Found.

With nearly 120 dispensaries licensed for business, patients will soon be able to treat roughly 20 medical conditions with cannabis products.

The post Legal medical cannabis could reach Mississippi by end of October appeared first on Leafly.

The post Legal medical cannabis could reach Mississippi by end of October appeared first on Paradise Found.

Patient advocates say increased costs and access issues are a blow to medical cannabis patients’ rights now that all adults can legally consume cannabis in Canada.

The post Is legalization bad for medical cannabis patients? appeared first on Leafly.

The post Is legalization bad for medical cannabis patients? appeared first on Paradise Found.

Medical marijuana has a 92% favorable rating. Trump’s budget would let federal prosecutors target state-legal patients. What gives?

The post Why is Trump targeting medical marijuana in an election year? appeared first on Leafly.

The post Why is Trump targeting medical marijuana in an election year? appeared first on Paradise Found.

Patients have rights—and responsibilities—when it comes to using medical marijuana at work. Learn how to manage weed in the Canadian workplace here.

The post Weed at work: What medical cannabis patients need to know appeared first on Leafly.

The post Weed at work: What medical cannabis patients need to know appeared first on Paradise Found.