Georgia will be one of the last states in the nation with a functioning medical marijuana program, available only to people suffering from conditions including seizures, severe pain and terminal illnesses. About 40 other states already allow medical marijuana, including Southern states such as Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
So far, over 26,000 patients and 19,000 caregivers have signed up, and those numbers are expected to drastically rise when Georgians finally have a way to buy the drug.
“I’ll believe it when I see it because it’s been such a long, drawn-out process,” said Beckee Lynch, who credits cannabis oil for her 16-year-old daughter’s survival through a lifetime of extreme seizures. “I’m excited for all the patients in Georgia for this finally coming to fruition.”
Still, Lynch says she’s concerned that the products sold in stores might not be as effective for her daughter as the oil she’s been using from an out-of-state company that didn’t receive a marijuana license in Georgia.
The state’s two licensed producers, Botanical Sciences and Trulieve, are able to sell, grow and manufacture medical marijuana oil, which can have no more than 5% THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high.
Each can open six dispensaries, with stores planned in the areas of Augusta, Columbus, Gwinnett County, Marietta, Newnan and Savannah.
“Since Georgia announced plans to legalize medical cannabis, patients have been eagerly awaiting the ability…