Georgia expands its medical cannabis program

The House Bill 324, the bill to expand the medical cannabis program in Georgia (USA), was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp yesterday, after the state House of Representatives approved the proposed law at the beginning of the month.

The new law will allow the production and sale of cannabis oil for medical use. The state had legalized the use of medical cannabis in 2015, but without setting up a production and distribution channel. Patients or relatives of patients such as Sébastien Cotte were then obliged to buy their supplies from outside the state, then return to Georgia, thus putting themselves in breach of the law when crossing the border.

For the time being, the State will limit its cultivation area to 3 hectares of indoor cultivation for the sole production of’cannabis oil. The oil, limited to 5% of THC, will then be sold to registered patients, of whom there are now almost 9,000.

The law will take effect on July 1. However, patients will have to wait until at least next year to be able to legally purchase their supplies. The Georgian government still has to set up its cannabis regulatory agency, regulate cannabis production and oil distribution, and award licenses to future producers, of which there are currently six (2 large companies and 4 small ones). Distribution should be handled by pharmacies, but a commission will be able to bring in private operators if necessary. The production sites will then have to source their own seeds, plant the first crops, harvest, process and obtain approval for their product.

Today, 34 U.S. states authorize the use of’medical use of cannabis. Georgia is one of 12 countries to allow only low-dose forms of THC.

«Until now, families have had to obtain oil illegally. Now they'll be able to get it legally in the state of Georgia,» said state representative Calvin Smyre (Democrat), chairman of the Fort Valley State University Foundation board. «The key is to get the commission appointed and up and running.»

«Now the hard work begins,» said Allen Peake, a former state representative who led the campaign to legalize medical cannabis. «Implementing the bill is crucial to ensuring that we get the process done efficiently and quickly and that medicine is delivered to families as quickly as possible.»