Even though Georgia legalized medical cannabis oil in 2015, the 22,000 enrolled patients have yet to purchase anything in licensed stores. There has been confusion and chaos surrounding Georgia’s medical cannabis market. Regulators awarded six licenses to competing companies, but there has been concern over the award process. 16 companies are currently suing the state over unjust licensing, which has continued to delay the medical cannabis market.
Lawmakers had hoped to pass legislation to get the medical market moving again. However, votes fell short by one and the bills died as the session ended on April 4.
Failed Bill
Two bills this past session looked to tackle the medical cannabis licensing issue. First up was SB 609. This bill looked to give the go-head to regulators to issue the awarded licenses despite the ongoing legal issues and lawsuits. This would get the market moving forward and get patients the medicine they need. However, this could cause more issues and further delays. Despite passing in the Senate, SB 609 stalled in the House.
The second bill, and one that gained more support was HB 1425. This bill would have thrown out the licenses originally awarded to start over again. This bill would also establish a new competitive bidding process and open up to three more licenses for a total of 9 total, which is more than the original six.
After passing the House and Senate committees, HB 1425 went to a full Senate chamber vote. Unfortunately, the vote failed to pass by one. Because HB 1425 failed to pass, no business licenses will be issued in the state. Patients will go another year without medical cannabis access.
Future of Medical Cannabis in Georgia
“It’s definitely disheartening. We’ve been fighting years for this, and we still don’t have anything we can go into the store and buy,” said one medical cannabis supporter, Jim Wages. His 18-year-old daughter, Sydney, suffers from Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. “It’s just gotten to the point where we need to move forward with this thing.”
It appears medical cannabis patients, all 22,000 of them, will have to wait another year before the Georgia General Assembly can reconvene and tackle the issue once again.
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