Medical marijuana for Georgians with serious health issues nears reality | Local News

Medical marijuana is nearing a reality for thousands of Georgians suffering serious health problems as state officials sift through applications for growing licenses and lawmakers recently paved the way for pharmacies to become pharmacies.

A program that has been in the works for years to regulate the cultivation, extraction and distribution of low-quality marijuana oil is slated to grant licenses to six groups of 70 applicants later in the spring or early summer.

According to state law, patients in Georgia only have access to oil extracts that contain small amounts of the marijuana active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

Once selected, the six winners will have 12 months to open a maximum of five pharmacies each and provide low-THC medicinal oil to nearly 19,000 patients on a state register. This is based on state laws and data from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).

According to Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission tasked with overseeing the program, cultivators could provide THC oil to patients much sooner than within the year.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that this could be a very good Christmas for … THC oil patients in Georgia,” said Turnage, a former Hall County deputy sheriff who holds top positions on the State Board of Nursing and the Board of Cosmetology and Barbers held.

Medical cannabis, the scientific term for marijuana, has been in the works in Georgia since 2015 when lawmakers legalized oils with a THC content of no more than 5%. The law was amended in 2019 to create licensing rules and allow some universities to study the treatment benefits of THC.

According to the National Conference of State Legislators, Georgia is among the eleven states that legalize low-THC oil for medicinal purposes. Most states other than Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska already have programs in place for wider medicinal cannabis or legalized recreational use.

While Georgia’s medical cannabis program is more restrictive than many other states, lawmakers recently decided to expand on who can qualify for licenses and where they can be.

Laws passed in the General Assembly earlier this month aim to allow local pharmacies to dispense low-THC oil unless approved by the State Board of Pharmacy. There would be no cap on the number of licenses pharmacies can secure, an allowance that has made some critics suspicious.

The bill, which Governor Kemp has yet to sign, would also give local governments more leeway where pharmacies can be opened to alcohol sellers, similar to zoning rules, and potentially waiving the need for medical cannabis vendors to keep 3,000 out of schools, churches and activity centers .

That leeway is aimed at giving local officials more control over where pharmacies are to be found rather than adhering to state mandates, said Micah Gravley, R-Douglasville Rep., Who led the bill in this year’s legislature.

He stressed that enough security measures such as fences, cameras and a government tracking system will be in place to prevent cannabis plants and oils from getting to people who have not been diagnosed with medical needs.

“These are not families who aim high,” Gravely said. “These are families who need oil.”

Proponents embrace medical cannabis as an effective treatment for a wide variety of serious diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and epileptic seizures, that avoid the need for highly addictive opioids.

University of Georgia researchers found in 2019 that states with medical cannabis programs decreased opioid use among residents by nearly 15%.

According to proponents, many patients in Georgia have already benefited from medical cannabis treatment. Nora Bushfield, a Decatur attorney, described how cannabis helped virtually eradicate the severe seizures her 41-year-old daughter experienced on a daily basis.

“It was just a miracle,” said Bushfield, who is part of a group currently seeking a state license for medicinal cannabis. “We kept waiting and waiting for her to have a seizure and she didn’t.”

“We’re not that different from many other people who have children or loved ones who need this drug.”

Critics fear that legalizing marijuana for medical treatments could open the door to more tolerant action in states like California and Colorado, where many people have easier access to marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

They also argue that cannabis, which is still classified as a banned narcotic, can serve as a gateway drug to abuse more dangerous substances like cocaine or opioids, especially for children whose brains are still developing.

Ginger Wagner, a member of the nonprofit Let’s Get Clear Georgia, pushed for stricter rules on medical cannabis following the death of their 19-year-old son, whose marijuana use led to experiments with harder drugs. He died of an overdose of Xanax with fentanyl in 2015, Wagner said.

“It’s certainly something to get addicted to,” Wagner said of marijuana. “We want to make sure that the people who are supposed to get this will be helped a lot by all of this, that it gets into the right hands.”

The nonprofit’s founder, Gregg Raduka, said patients may still develop addiction even with low levels of THC. He called for more age restrictions, buffer zones to keep pharmacies away from schools, and tighter supervision of doctors who prescribe medical THC for pain management.

“It is very difficult for a doctor to document chronic pain,” said Raduka. “The concern is whether people would seek THC oil who may not have a legitimate medical need for it.”

The state commission’s turnage wanted to ensure the program had guard rails in place to ensure that only qualified patients received medical cannabis, especially after lawmakers hired about $ 622,000 this year to hire a lawyer, a police-trained inspector and two license administrators had approved.

He also stressed that the state-approved low-THC oil contains much lower levels of THC than illegal strains of marijuana, making it a risky option for recreational users who might consider abusing medicinal cannabis.

“This is a limit compared to any street drug,” Turnage said. “Anyone aiming high will likely be the last choice on the list.”

Going forward, Turnage hopes certain universities will be interested in researching the medicinal benefits of THC oil, even though the only two colleges approved by state law to secure growing licenses – the University of Georgia and Fort Valley State University – do not apply for licenses have so far.

The bill tabled by Gravley earlier this year would allow other universities to gain approval to research THC oil made by licensed farmers. Several schools are interested in research, including Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Emory University, and Augusta University, according to Turnage.

“If the universities decide to pursue their university licenses, we will be very excited about the opportunities that exist for university research,” said Turnage.

“This has proven to be a great option for people who have struggled in some of the worst fighting categories.”