Georgia’s Medical Cannabis Law Reaches New Compromise

The United States as a country has every example of state progress in terms of cannabis legalization. There are some states that are the go-getters, whose residents strive to advocate for cannabis and get it legalized as soon as possible. Other states that have made very little progress in even decriminalizing the plant, and of course, there are many variations in between. Fortunately, Georgia has made enough progress to be considered in the more progressive category thanks to a new ruling.

Georgian lawmakers have decided to expand the medical cannabis law in Georgia. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the approval of Senate Bill 16 adds six new illnesses to the list of qualifying conditions for cannabis, which includes Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS, autism, epidermolysis bullosa, peripheral neuropathy and Tourette’s syndrome. It will also allow for patients in hospice care to use medical cannabis, and it sets the maximum amount of THC in cannabis oil at five percent.

One Georgian father, whose son has autism, expressed his genuine happiness with the compromise, “For the first time ever, there is a possible solution in sight that includes my son and thousands of other autistic families across the state.” He noted that until now, he has been giving his son cannabis oil illegally because the condition was not yet approved to qualify.

Despite reports from just one month ago regarding how the House of Representatives in Georgia was unable to come to a consensus about expanding access to medical cannabis oil, it seems that the compromise just required extra time and attention. The Telegraph reports that during the discussion yesterday, it only took 10 minutes for the House committee to vote in favor of expanding the qualifying conditions for medical cannabis.

The state’s current law allows for medical cannabis patients to possess up to 20 ounces of cannabis oil. There are approximately 1,300 medical cannabis patients in the Georgian registry.