MARIETTA, Ga. — In the race to make history in Georgia, after a years-long battle, Jim Wages said he felt like his family had won the lottery Friday.
Wages' daughter, Sydney, has had seizures since she was six months old. Her dad risked breaking the law to get her medical cannabis to treat her condition.
Now, with a state commission's decision to authorize the sale of medical cannabis in Georgia, Wages no longer has to cross state lines. Nearly 20 years after his daughter's seizures began, the Dallas father became the first patient to be able to buy it in-state.
"We fought alongside shoulder to shoulder," Wages said. "It's such a relief to know we can drive a few miles to pick up product instead of having to meet in a parking lot. It's not just about Sydney. It is for us, this is our child. But there are so many others like her. We fight for all of them."
Dozens of people formed a line outside Trulieve in Marietta, set to buy low-THC cannabis products. Some traveled from as far as Newnan and Northeast Georgia. Trulieve, also opened another dispensary in Macon Friday.
It comes after a state commission authorized the company, along with Botanical Sciences, to sell medical cannabis in Georgia to the nearly 30,000 Georgians with THC registry cards.
"I've waited my whole life for this moment," Trulieve shift supervisor Zach Easterwood said. "My grandfather was a cancer patient. He died because he didn't have access to this. So being able to be here and give someone else's grandfather relief is lifechanging."
Easterwood said the Marietta location would sell tinctures, capsules and topical lotions ranging in price depending on the dosage and the product. Possessing medical cannabis in Georgia has been legal since 2015, but it took families, lobbyists and ultimately state lawmakers eight years to find a way to obtain it within state lines.
"It's going to help out Georgia farmers, it's the number one industry in Georgia," Rep. Devan Seabaugh (R-Cobb County) said. "They'll be responsible with it and I think it'll benefit all Georgians who need this type of treatment. It's been a long time coming. This is a first step, a great start. It’s going to provide some very needed relief to these patients.”
For Jim Wages and his family, their years-long race has reached a lifechanging milestone.
"Our finish line is right here," Wages said, moments before a ribbon cutting outside Trulieve's Marietta dispensary. "I risked prosecution to help this child. We’re tired, but it’s all worth it today.”