It has been a busy week for medical marijuanan activists in Georgia. Early this week, City Councilman Kwanza Hall continued to push his bill that would call for the decriminalization of cannabis in the city. While the city council asked for more research before making a decision, another bill did manage to get the required amount of yes votes.
Per AJC
An expansion of Georgia’s medical marijuana law won final passage Thursday from the state Senate, sending the measure to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.
House and Senate lawmakers brokered the compromise earlier this month, after the House backed off much broader expansion plans and the Senate no longer pursued a proposal that would have reduced the maximum allowable percentage of THC in the oil (it’s currently 5 percent in Georgia). THC is the component in marijuana that makes its users high.
Senate Bill 16 now would add six conditions eligible for treatment with a limited form of cannabis oil allowed in Georgia: Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS, autism, epidermolysis bullosa, peripheral neuropathy and Tourette’s syndrome.
Additionally, patients in hospice care would also be able to possess the oil. Other changes include a 45-day reciprocity window for people who come to Georgia from another state, as long as they have a medical marijuana registration card issued by another state, a condition that’s allowed to be treated in Georgia and a form of the oil that is permitted here.
While it’s still hard for patients to actually get CBD oils in the state, expanding the list of ailments that will make you eligible for MMJ is a good, small step forward.