Georgia becomes the first U.S. state where medical cannabis is sold in pharmacies

The Georgia State Board of Pharmacy in the United States has begun accepting applications from nearly 120 pharmacies that wish to offer medical cannabis products, making Georgia the first state in the country to allow the sale of cannabis products in independent pharmacies.

This expansion of medical cannabis sales to pharmacies, known as the “pharmacy regulation,” will significantly increase access for patients. There are only seven dispensaries in Georgia for people suffering from conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, terminal cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Considered restrictive compared to other states such as neighboring Florida, the law Georgia's MMJ 2019 only allows oil with a low THC content, up to 5%. Flowers are prohibited.

The only two licensed medical cannabis producers in Georgia, Botanical Sciences and Trulieve will supply the products to pharmacies. These two companies were the first in Georgia to receive approval earlier this year to provide medical cannabis to patients.

«Pharmacists have been answering patients» questions for years without being able to do anything about it,’ said Gary Long, CEO of Botanical Sciences, according to the’Atlanta Journal-Constitution. «Finally, they have the ability not only to advise people, but also to provide them with the therapies they are seeking.»

Georgia has more than 400 independent pharmacies, and most are expected to participate in the program, with the exception of chains such as CVS and Walgreens, according to Cecil Cordle, a member of the Georgia Board of Pharmacy.

According to the newspaper, this new measure will allow approximately 901,000 people in Georgia to live within a 30-minute drive of a pharmacy that sells medical cannabis products.

Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Medical Cannabis Access Commission, said the rule regarding pharmacies was «great news.».

«It helps both our licensees and, above all, our patients,» he told the publication. «It will provide access in virtually every county in the state.»

How many patients use cannabis for medical purposes in Georgia? This is an important question that sparked a minor scandal last week.

Georgia’s Ministry of Public Health recently revealed that it had miscalculated and inflated the number of patients registered for medical cannabis use. Only 14,000 active patients and caregivers are currently registered, which is far fewer than the 50,000 previously reported.