A Georgia board overseeing the state’s efforts to get patients access to medical marijuana has approved production licenses for two companies, a step to getting patients access to medication after a seven-year wait.
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved licenses for Botanical Sciences and Trulieve Georgia, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Specifically, they’ll be able to sell medical marijuana oil that contains no more than 5% of the THC compound that is found in marijuana and that makes users high.
State law requires the companies to begin production within a year.
The state first authorized medical marijuana oil in 2015 to treat illnesses including severe seizures, Parkinson’s disease and terminal cancers. But there is still no legal way to buy it in Georgia, although nearly 25,000 patients have gotten physician approval and been placed on a state registry. Patients have gone to other states or bought through underground markets.
“It’s good news to our certified patients in Georgia, and we look forward to ensuring that the product comes to market as quickly and as safely as possible,” said Sid Johnson, the commission’s chairman.
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Republished with permission from The Associated Press.
