State medical cannabis registry reaches 25,000

Georgia's medical cannabis program has hit an important milestone.

Enrollment in the registry of patients eligible to receive the drug hit 25,000 during the weekend. That growth means the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, the state agency that operates the program, is authorized to open additional dispensaries.

As a result, the six production companies licensed by the commission to grow marijuana and produce medical cannabis products from the leafy crop now are operating 13 dispensaries across Georgia.

'Patient access continues to be our mission and purpose,' commission Chairman Sid Johnson said. 'Expanding Georgia's medical cannabis program, especially providing service to patients, is why the commission exists.'

The General Assembly first legalized possession of low-THC cannabis oil to treat a wide range of diseases back in 2015 but failed to provide patients a legal way to obtain the drug. Adult patients and parents of ailing children were forced for years to travel out of state to get cannabis oil or buy it illegally in Georgia.

It wasn’t until 2019 that the legislature passed a bill setting up a licensing process for production companies to grow marijuana indoors under close supervision, convert the leafy crop to cannabis oil, and sell the product to patients with a doctor’s prescription who signed up for the state registry. Under the legislation, the number of dispensaries will increase by an additional dispensing license for each of the six production companies with every increase in the registry of 10,000 patients.

'We anticipate things are going to pick up in pace quickly from here,' said Andrew Turnage, the commission's executive director.

Part of the growth in patients enrolling in the medical cannabis registry stems from a recent series of listening sessions the commission conducted at Valdosta State University, Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, and Middle Georgia State University. The tour will wrap up this week at Lanier Technical College in Gainesville.

'We have heard from patients, caregivers, health professionals, veterans, researchers, and students with an interest in or need for medical cannabis,' Johnson said. 'Their willingness to share their personal stories and feedback for improvement is invaluable to the betterment of the program.'