The First Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Open In Georgia After Years of Legal Battles

Things are looking up for patients in Georgia who want to relieve pain using cannabis without prescriptions.

After years of fighting in the state Capital, medical cannabis dispensaries have officially opened. Fox 5 reports the state commission issued licenses to dispense the medicine as parents of children fighting medical battles have been battling for almost a decade. Shannon Cloud, whose daughter lives with Dravet’s Syndrome, is elated that their hard work is getting results. “This is a huge step forward for patients,” Cloud said. “So many families have put so much into this fight to make this medicine available for our kids and all of our loved ones here in Georgia.”

Earlier this week, Georgia regulations authorized the commission to issue up to five dispensing licenses to each production licensee based on the number of registered patients. Dispensaries are set to be fully operational within 120 days after the license was issued, but first, they have to pass a pre-operational inspection.

One dispensary opening is Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a Florida-based company in Marietta. While this is its first location, they plan on opening three more dispensaries in Georgia this year in Columbus, Newnan, and Pooler. Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers says their low THC oil product can be sold to registered patients who suffer from severe seizures, Parkinson’s, and terminal cancer, something she says is a game changer. “It really is and can be a true game changer for folks in terms of quality of life,” Rivers said.

According to MJ Biz Daily, Georgia law states qualified patients can legally possess up to 20 fluid ounces of “low THC oil,” not exceeding 5 milligrams of THC.

Corey Lowe said her daughter used to suffer from severe seizures daily before she discovered medical marijuana. Lowe says victories like this are “why we slept at the Capitol.” “This is why we were knocking on lawmakers’ doors to get full access.”

Work remains to be done as flower edibles and vape cartridges are still banned in Georgia’s medical marijuana program.