Medical cannabis dispensaries in Georgia rang up their first legal sales of cannabis flower on Wednesday, the first day newly expanded medical marijuana laws took effect at both MMJ dispensaries as well as independent general pharmacies.
At Tallahassee, Florida-based marijuana multistate operator Trulieve Cannabis Corp.’s dispensary in Marietta, a military veteran purchased a disposable oil vaporizer and cannabis flower as both product categories became available for the first time, the company said in a press release.
In addition to new product categories, including edibles as well as vapes and flower, Georgia medical marijuana operators can also expect more patients shopping for them.
That’s all thanks to Senate Bill 220, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in May.
What are Georgia’s new medical marijuana laws?
Until Wednesday, the only cannabis products available in Georgia were “low THC oil” offerings, capped at no more than 5% THC.
Despite a novel ability to offer cannabis products at general pharmacies, those limited offerings – plus a strict list of qualifying conditions that restricted access for cancer, ALS and multiple sclerosis sufferers until an “end-stage” diagnosis – have kept participation in the state’s program low, according to critics.
As of March, there were only 34,500 registered patients out of a statewide population of 11.3 million – the lowest adoption rate of any MMJ program in the country, Gary Long, CEO of licensed MMJ company Botanical Sciences, told The Current at the time.
But now:
- Cannabis patients can possess up to 12 grams of THC, with no THC percentage cap on products
- Vaporizable products will be allowed for patients 21 and older
Georgia is now poised for growth. Currently, there are just six production licenses, 15 retail licenses and one independent testing lab allowed in Georgia.
Every time 10,000 new medical marijuana patients enter the program, an additional retail license becomes available. Industry experts expect new patients to sign up.
What cannabis products are available at Georgia pharmacies?
Currently, the state limits business licenses to:
- Six cultivation licenses
- 15 retail licenses, six of which are held by Trulieve
- One independent cannabis testing laboratory
But cultivators can also start selling to pharmacies, as Trulieve is doing. According to the company, any independent pharmacy that’s pursued U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration as part of medical cannabis’ reclassification as a Schedule 3 drug can sell cannabis products.
Trulieve is supplying cannabis products to more than 12 pharmacies, with plans to expand, the company said Wednesday.
“Pharmacists are trusted healthcare providers, and being able to provide medical cannabis alongside our patients’ other medications is a natural extension of the care we already deliver, in their convenient, neighborhood pharmacy setting,” Parth Patel, the owner of Bonaire Pharmacy in Warner Robins, Georgia, said in a statement.
Trulieve became the first U.S.-based cannabis company to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange last month.
