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Georgia’s governor has signed a bill to expand medical marijuana access in the state.
SB 220, which Gov. Brian Kemp (R) approved on Tuesday, will add new qualifying conditions for the program, allow patients to vaporize medical cannabis and change THC potency limits, among other reforms.
Under the legislation, patients with lupus will be allowed to legally access medical marijuana, building on the state’s current law that allows certain people with cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, autism spectrum disorder, intractable pain and other conditions to qualify.
The bill from Sen. Matt Brass (R) also removes the requirement for many conditions that the patient’s status be severe or end-stage to be allowed to enter the medical cannabis program.
The reform will also expand how patients can use medical marijuana. Until now, they have been able to access oils, tinctures, capsules, lozenges, topicals and transdermal patches—but the new law will also allow vaping as delivery method for patients over 21 years of age, while continuing to prohibit smoking for all patients.
The Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act additionally replaces the current 5 percent THC potency cap for medical cannabis products with a limit of 12,000 milligrams of THC that a patient can possess at any one time.
“These changes, while meaningful to the affected patients, do not materially alter where Georgia sits in the national landscape on this issue,” Kemp said in a signing statement. “This bill passed with a constitutional majority in both chambers of the General Assembly.”
“I, like many of those who expressed opposition to this bill, have reservations about the legalization of recreational cannabis. Many states that have legalized recreational cannabis have come to regret that decision,” he said. “I also recognize that for some patients, medical cannabis provides significant relief to symptoms that would otherwise go untreated or would be treated with even more harmful opioids.”
“I do not believe that a well-implemented medical cannabis program must inevitably lead to the legalization of recreational use in Georgia, nor is the question of recreational use anywhere in the bill on my desk for signature,” the governor said.
The bill also replaces references to “low THC oil” in current law with “medical cannabis.”
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The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, which oversees the program, will get a new duty of conducting public awareness activities about “effective uses of medical cannabis and products, including, but not limited to, publishing materials and conducting outreach and public education activities to inform members of the public, law enforcement, and healthcare providers about the medical cannabis program in this state and the potential benefits that medical cannabis and products may have to eligible patients.”
Last year, House leaders created a Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Georgia’s Medical Marijuana and Hemp Policies to examine the state’s cannabis laws.
Lawmakers in Georgia have also considered legislation to support research on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 25-year veteran in the cannabis and drug law reform movement, he covers the policy, politics, science and culture of marijuana, psychedelics and other substances. He previously reported for Forbes, Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and was given the Hunter S. Thompson Media Award by NORML and has been named Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. As an activist, Tom founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority and handled media relations, campaigns and lobbying for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
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