Georgia’s medical marijuana program growing fast and getting easier access

The number of Georgians obtaining a state-issued card to buy medical marijuana is rapidly climbing — by about 1,000 every month — and some changes in the works may make it easier for new patients.

Patients and caregivers who want to buy the product must obtain a Low-THC Oil Registry card from the Department of Public Health following approval from a physician. Georgians can access medical marijuana for a wide variety of conditions including end-stage cancer, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism, AIDS, PTSD and intractable pain.

Among recent changes made by state legislators, Georgians will soon be able to have the cards mailed to their home address instead of having to pick them up in person at a local health department. The cards will also be good for five years, up from two years.

“Just being able to get access to your card as soon as you are approved and not have to wait months can make all of the difference,” said Andrew L. Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, which oversees the regulated licensing, in-state cultivation, production, manufacturing and sale of low-THC oil. Some patients have waited months for their registry cards to be issued, he said. “We are not talking about people having a bad day. In many, many cases, they tried everything and they have done everything their doctor can think of. This is their last resort.”

Credit: (Helena Oliviero helena.oliviero@ajc.com)

Though recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Georgia, eligible patients may buy low-THC medical marijuana products with up to 5% THC, the compound that gives users a high. Street marijuana has a far higher level of THC.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is meeting Thursday to revise state health department regulations, so they match the recent changes to the Low THC Oil Patient Registry state law.

As of Aug. 14, there are 21,368 active patients in the registry, nearly doubling the number a year ago, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. There are an additional 1,542 caregivers with cards. Patients with cards reside throughout the state with some from each of the state’s 159 counties, according to the Commission.

Credit: TNS

Georgia DPH spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said about 75% of cardholders have been using medical marijuana to deal with intractable pain or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cancer, peripheral neuropathy, and seizure disorders round out the top five conditions.

Slight word changes were also made to some of the roughly 15 conditions eligible for a medical marijuana prescription.

There is also a growing number of doctors — now at 712— registering with the state to verify a patient qualifies for medical marijuana, according to DPH.

Medical cannabis products are sold in the form of liquid tinctures, topical creams or capsules, but smokable products aren’t allowed. They can only be purchased at a dispensary licensed by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission.

There’s limited evidence that medical marijuana can help with a host of conditions including chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Credit: cust

Frank Eady of the Pancreatic Cancer Support Group at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory, and other experts say the availability in Georgia of medical marijuana has allowed some patients in the Peach State to scale back, or completely end, use of opioids for chronic pain.

“It has given people another option other than prescription drugs and surgical procedures,” Eady told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a recent interview.

A federal plan to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug could increase access for medical marijuana patients in Georgia. Such a move could also allow for more health research and pharmacy sales.

Under the proposal by the Drug Enforcement Agency, marijuana would no longer be a “Schedule I” drug, a designation meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Instead it would become a Schedule III drug, alongside ketamine, anabolic steroids and some acetaminophen-codeine combinations.

Even with such a change, marijuana would remain illegal for recreational use in Georgia unless there were changes to Georgia law.

Credit: TNS

Pharmacy sales are permitted under state law, but last year the DEA warned Georgia that the sales would violate federal law. Georgia would have become the first state in the nation to authorize pharmacies to dispense the drug.

While reclassifying marijuana may set the stage for Georgia’s pharmacies to sell the products to qualified patients, it’s by no means a given.

But with the country having a long and complicated history of cannabis laws and prohibition, Mason Tvert, partner at Strategies 64, a national cannabis policy and public affairs firm, told the AJC in an email, “it is not entirely clear whether rescheduling will have any direct impacts.”

Who can get medical marijuana in Georgia and how?

Georgia residents suffering from illnesses such as seizures, terminal cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder can buy medical marijuana at dispensaries if they receive a government-approved identification card, also known as a Low-THC Oil Registry card

The state’s medical marijuana law authorizes the Georgia Department of Health to issue the registry card to people whose conditions are certified by a physician.

The card allows patients to possess up to 20 fluid ounces of medical cannabis oil, which can contain no more than 5% THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high.

Medical cannabis products are sold in the form of liquid tinctures, topical creams or capsules, but smokable products aren’t allowed, and recreational usage of marijuana remains illegal in Georgia.

The cards cost $25 and are now valid for five years before they need to be renewed. Georgians will soon be able to get the cards mailed to their home and not need to go in person to a local health department to pick them up.

Qualified conditions include end-stage cancer, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s, autism, AIDS, PTSD and intractable pain. For a full list of qualified conditions and more information, go to: https://dph.georgia.gov/low-thc-oil-registry

Where is medical cannabis sold?

There are about a dozen medical dispensary locations across the state including locations in Marietta, Macon, Chamblee and Augusta. For a complete list go to https://www.gmcc.ga.gov

Get all the news about the Atlanta Braves delivered each morning. Sign up for Braves Report.