ATLANTA — Medical cannabis patients in Georgia can only get their medication from select dispensaries right now, but they may soon be able to get low-dosed THC oil from independent pharmacies.
The Georgia Board of Pharmacy approved regulations this week to give patients more options.
Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission executive director Andrew Turnage said more than 100 of the state's 700 independent pharmacies had expressed interest in the program.
Turnage believes this is a win-win for both patients and pharmacies.
“It represents a much shorter drive, obviously, for patients and caregivers to be able to get access to that, which makes the time and the cost so much easier for them to manage," Turnage said.
U.S. Navy veteran Stanley Atkins II agrees. He used medical cannabis for various conditions and said it helps him function.
“I think it’s a very good transition for the industry, for our relatives, our loved ones and those in need where grandmother can get her diabetes medication and her cannabis medication at the same location," Atkins II said.
Governor Brian Kemp will need to sign off on the program, and if he does, independent pharmacies could see medical cannabis oil as early as August or September.
Some approved conditions to go on Georgia's low THC oil registry include cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, Crohn's disease, and Parkinson's disease. You can read the full list of qualifications by clicking here. Nearly 30,000 people are on the state's registry.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misrepresented the number of licenses that could be awarded to independent pharmacies in the state. According to the Georgia Access to Medical Canabis Commission, there is no cap on the number of licenses that can be awarded to independent pharmacies. This story has been updated to correct that inaccuracy.
