A form of medical marijuana is now legal in Georgia. This morning Governor Nathan Deal signed House Bill 1 into law. The law sets up a system through which people suffering from a range of specific illnesses and medical conditions may transport and possess a limited quantity of cannabis oil for personal use.
Patients will first need to get a recommendation from their doctor that they suffer from one of the conditions listed under the law.
New Georgia law allows cannabis oil use to treat these conditions
- Cancer
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- Seizure disorders
- Multiple sclerosis
- Crohn’s disease
- Mitochondrial disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Sickle Cell disease
With a doctor’s recommendation, the state will issue a permit to those who qualify through the Department of Public Health. That process is still being developed. Deal says they’re currently working on ways to protect applicant’s medical information within the system. The whole process should be up and running by summer. Deal did hand out seven “temporary cards” today to families of children who suffer from severe seizures. The oil, which is low in THC (the intoxicating chemical in marijuana), shows great promise in reducing or even eliminating seizures.
Those children were the driving force behind the change in law. Some families had emigrated to Colorado and other states where marijuana is sold legally. “Upon my signature immediately the law will become effective.” Deal explained at this morning’s ceremony. “It will give Georgia families the hope, and in many cases, the ability to return to Georgia from other states.”
To be clear, this bill does not allow for the sale of cannabis oil in Georgia. Those permitted to have it must still purchase out of state. Deal acknowledged that legal obstacles remain but says, “Once they are in Georgia and they’ve gone through the registration process they will be immune from prosecution.”
An in-state distribution solution may be coming next year. Research into the health benefits of the oil is going on now within the University System of Georgia and HB1 creates a commission to study the best way to implement a delivery system for cannabis oil here. That commission’s recommendations will be coming out in December.
Official Statement from Governor Nathan Deal on HB1
“For the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain, the wait is finally over. I applaud the efforts of the Department of Public Health and the Georgia Composite Medical Board to see that this legislation is implemented safely and in a timely manner. Now, Georgia children and their families may return home while continuing to receive much-needed care. Patients such as Haleigh Cox, for whom this bill is named, and others suffering from debilitating conditions can now receive the treatment they need, in the place where they belong: Georgia.”
Official Statement from Rep. Alan Peake (R-Macon) on HB1
“Today, HB 1 officially became Georgia state law, and we can now begin the highly anticipated process of bringing our medical refugees back home to Georgia.” “I am extremely grateful to Gov. Deal for his continued leadership and for making this historic and monumental day happen. The true heroes, without which none of this would have been possible, are the families who fought courageously and tirelessly to see this legislation through to its passage.”
