Since the state of Georgia’s governor Nathan Deal signed a bill that expanded the state’s medical marijuana program, hundreds of Georgians have been signing up for cards. The cards will allow them to legally possess medical marijuana.
At the end of the June, before the bill went into effect, the number of patients on Georgia’s registry was 2,162. The bill added six authorized medical conditions to the list including autism, Tourette’s syndrome, AIDS, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Alzheimer’s disease and peripheral neuropathy. Those in hospice care are also eligible for medical marijuana.
“Keep in mind that these are people who are going through the process to register with their physician for a product they can’t even get,” said Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon.
“There are medical marijuana laws that provide access in 29 states now,” he said. “So more than half the country has figured out how to make it work. We ought to be able to do the same for our citizens who are demanding this, quite frankly.”
Residents who have a qualifying medical condition can have low-THC oil on hand, but the problem is that it’s still illegal to bring it to Georgia.
Peake is pushing for the allowance of homegrown medical marijuana.
“It shows the real inadequacy of our law and why we need legislation that would allow the cultivation, processing and distribution of medical cannabis oil here in Georgia,” Peake said. “And that’s what I’m going to continue to push hard for.”
