While the Georgia Legislature made it legal to use medical marijuana products, like low THC oil, back in 2015, Georgians have had no legal way to access it. A compromise on that bill passed both chambers of the Legislature late Tuesday, to applause in the House of Representatives upon final passage.
It came through with the support of the governor, House speaker and lieutenant governor after hours of testimony from patients who use the medicine and opponents who argue that it could pave the way for recreational marijuana use.
“Four years ago, we started down a journey in this House where we would allow patients in this state to possess an oil,” said Rep. Micah Gravley, a Republican who sponsored the bill. “You see there was one aspect of that journey that we didn’t think about. And that was where will they get that oil?”
“In 2015, we gave these patients a right to possess this medicine. But we failed to give them the ability to legally purchase it,” as Republican state Sen. Matt Brass put it last week. He carried the bill in the Senate. “Parents and patients are having to drive thousands of miles to buy months of supply at once and then break federal law to get the medicine back to the loved ones they’re trying to help.”
The proposal would allow up to six licenses to be granted for the indoor cultivation of low THC oil. It would also allow two universities to get research licenses: the University of Georgia and Fort Valley State University. No smoking, vaping or edible products will be allowed, and local pharmacies across the state will serve as the dispensaries.
