ATLANTA — The countdown is on for people who have a Georgia medical marijuana card but aren't yet able to buy it in the state.
Georgia first passed laws in 2015 allowing certain patients to use it. A 2019 law set up a system to produce and sell medical marijuana. The program is scheduled to begin helping patients in May or June after seven years of delays.
Doug Weller, the owner of ATL Dispensary, has begun the process of applying for a dispensary license to sell medical cannabis. The state will award licenses through a lottery system.
ATL Dispensary already sells CBD and hemp products.
“We've applied, we're actually in the process of putting our application in to become a dispensary to be able to sell the CBD with 5% THC," Weller said.
Weller also hopes to be one of the dispensaries selling medical cannabis, which will be available as low-THC oil.
“It's very, very positive for the state and for the patients," Weller said. "We have about, right almost 30,000 medical card holders.”
Botanical Sciences is one of two companies licensed to grow medical marijuana in Georgia. CEO Gary Long said dispensaries will likely be able to sell cannabis oil within a few weeks.
“The patients are required to get a card, which is first initiated through a visit with their doctor. They have to have one of the 18 qualifying conditions that the state has outlined," Long said.
A medical marijuana card in Georgia costs $25 for two years.
“They are then able to go to one of our dispensaries around the state," Long said. "Also, our state has authorized independent pharmacies to also dispense the product.”
Trulieve is the second licensed medical marijuana manufacturer in the state. The company has seen the positive effects for all kinds of patients.
“The stories of one mother in particular, her son going from hundreds of seizures in a 24-hour period to less than ten," Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said.
According to the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, the following conditions are covered under the state's low-THC oil law:
Cancer, when such diagnosis is end stage or the treatment produces related wasting illness or recalcitrant nausea and vomiting
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage
Seizure disorders related to diagnosis of epilepsy or trauma related head injuries
Multiple sclerosis, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage
Crohn’s disease
Mitochondrial disease
Parkinson’s disease, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage
Sickle cell disease, when such diagnosis is severe or end stage
Tourette’s syndrome, when such syndrome is diagnosed as severe
Autism spectrum disorder, when (a) patient is 18 years of age or more, or (b) patient is less than 18 years of age and diagnosed with severe autism
Epidermolysis bullosa
Alzheimer’s disease, when such disease is severe or end stage
AIDS when such syndrome is severe or end stage
Peripheral neuropathy, when symptoms are severe or end stage
Patient is in hospice program, either as inpatient or outpatient
Intractable pain
Post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from direct exposure to or witnessing of a trauma for a patient who is at least 18 years of age
“They're going to be able to get the medicine that they've been trying to get," Weller said. "So many of them have to go out of state to try to get what they need, and it's going to be just so much more convenient for the residents of Georgia.”
Weller believes the 5% THC oil is a good start for Georgia's medical marijuana program, but he'd like to see the state expand to include edibles, pills, and powders.