MMJ patients in Georgia face a weird catch-22 situation. Thanks to State Representative Allen Peake, Senate Bill 16 has been passed, expanding the ailments that could qualify someone to be able to consume mmj, in Georgia that adds up to CBD oil, it’s still very hard to get your hands on.
Per The Cannabist
More than 100 new patients have received permission to use a form of medical marijuana in Georgia this month, bringing the statewide total of people using the product to more than 1800 less than three years after the state began the program.
They still don’t have easy access to the drug, which can’t legally be produced in Georgia or brought across state lines under federal law. Instead, patients and families have to find a manufacturer willing to ship products or travel to another state where the oil is made and risk being caught breaking the law as they return home.
Even more people have registered as “caregivers,” a separate category in state records that includes parents or others caring for children or others who can’t manage their own medication and may not have a state-issued card to possess the oil. Since May 9 when the latest expansion law took effect, 185 people registered as caregivers bringing the statewide total to 2,248.
People on the registry have to show a doctor’s approval and receive a card as proof they’re allowed to possess the oil containing a low amount of THC, the chemical responsible for the marijuana high, to treat eligible conditions.
After weeks of debate this year, Georgia lawmakers added six diseases to that list: Tourette’s syndrome, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS, nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy and a painful skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa.
Since the law took effect May 9, new patients listed the condition peripheral neuropathy most often. The law required that the disease, nerve damage that can cause pain, numbness and tingling, must be considered “severe or end stage” to qualify for the registry.
With only one, legal dispensary able to sell oil, it’s extremely difficult for patients to access medicine. Read more about what Georgian’s in search of legal medicine have to go through here