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The Georgia Senate last week passed a bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, only days after lawmakers in the state House of Representatives passed a similar measure.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 220, known as the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act,” by a vote of 39-17 on March 6. If passed, the bill would replace the term “low-THC oil” with “medical cannabis” in the state’s medical cannabis program. The measure would also add lupus as a qualifying condition and remove a restriction that the current qualifying conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, be severe or end-stage.
The measure also removes a restriction limiting medical cannabis products to low-THC, CBD-rich cannabis oil formulations, instead allowing patients to use all parts and derivatives of the cannabis plant for medical purposes, including cannabis flower. Additionally, the legislation removes a ban on vaping cannabis and increases the THC limit on cannabis oil products from 5% THC to 50%.
Georgia’s current medical cannabis program is limited to products such as tinctures, transdermal patches, lotions, and capsules made with low-THC cannabis oil. Cannabis flower and edibles are not allowed. Patients must be diagnosed with one or more qualifying conditions and have a doctor’s recommendation to use medical cannabis.
House Bill Also Expands Georgia’s Medical Cannabis Program
On February 27, the Georgia House of Representatives passed its version of the Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act, House Bill 227 from Republican state Rep. Robert Dickey, by a vote of 164-1. Like the Senate version, the measure replaces references to “low-THC cannabis oil” with “medical cannabis,” adds lupus to the list of qualifying conditions, and removes the restriction that qualifying conditions be severe or end-stage. However, the bill does not allow the use of all parts of the cannabis plant, does not increase the THC limit on cannabis oil, and does not legalize vaping.
According to Department of Public Health data cited by the Georgia Recorder, there are currently more than 27,500 registered medical cannabis patients in Georgia. However, this number is significantly lower than that of the nearby states of Mississippi and Louisiana, where patient rolls number about 50,000. In an interview, Dickey said that the bill would allow more patients to access the benefits of medical cannabis.
“Cannabis has a place in treatment, it has a place for people,” Dickey said, according to a report from local media. “We’re the lowest usage state of anywhere around, and I think it’s just been because of multiple kind of reasons. I just thought it was time that we opened things up just a little bit here to see where it takes us. We’re very restrictive compared to other states, but this bill takes small steps.”
Although many cannabis advocates support Dickey’s bill, some believe it does not go far enough. Yolanda Bennett, the co-founder and director of operations, social justice, and advocacy for the Georgia Medical Cannabis Society, says that the House version of the bill does not allow patients to access medical cannabis in the forms they need.
“Our patients, they complain, like, ‘look, there’s no need for us to be a part of this medical cannabis program if they don’t have flower,’” said Bennett. “A lot of people still choose to go to the legacy market, the black market, or to even just order their hemp products online.”
Bennet believes that Georgia should follow the lead of states like Colorado and Virginia, where the regulations are much friendlier to medical cannabis patients and their needs.
“We need to expand Georgia’s medical cannabis program,” she said. “It’s not that we’re trying to [increase] adult use, but people have to realize that cannabis is medicine.”
House Bill 227 has been referred to the Georgia Senate for consideration, while Senate Bill 220 will be taken up by the state House of Representatives.
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The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.
