Some long-awaited relief through cannabis oil could be in sight for some Georgians with serious health conditions.
State House lawmakers approved a do-over of the state’s medical marijuana program, which has been stalled in court. The measure passed 169-5 Tuesday, and a separate medical marijuana measure passed the Senate unanimously.
“I wish I could say we’re in a good spot, but we’re not,” said Glennville Republican Rep. Bill Werkheiser, the bill’s sponsor. “We’ve had patients now numbered 20,000, 20,000 families waiting for us to do something. If we do nothing, we’re in a bad position. If we do something, it’s not so great either, but I think we’ve got something that will move the process forward.”
If the bill passes the Senate and receives Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature, the state will be required to obtain low-THC cannabis oil “from any available legal source” by Aug. 1 and begin providing it to patients now on the state registry by Aug. 15.
The state will also cancel the previous application process and begin anew, choosing another six providers. Companies that applied last time can apply again and will not have to pay the application fee.
“We’ve literally created a time machine,” Werkheiser said.
The Legislature initially passed a law to provide low-THC cannabis oil to patients who suffer from a list of specific conditions in 2015 and six companies were approved to produce the substance, but companies that applied but were…
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Some long-awaited relief through cannabis oil could be in sight for some Georgians with serious health conditions.
State House lawmakers approved a do-over of the state’s medical marijuana program, which has been stalled in court. The measure passed 169-5 Tuesday, and a separate medical marijuana measure passed the Senate unanimously.
“I wish I could say we’re in a good spot, but we’re not,” said Glennville Republican Rep. Bill Werkheiser, the bill’s sponsor. “We’ve had patients now numbered 20,000, 20,000 families waiting for us to do something. If we do nothing, we’re in a bad position. If we do something, it’s not so great either, but I think we’ve got something that will move the process forward.”
If the bill passes the Senate and receives Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature, the state will be required to obtain low-THC cannabis oil “from any available legal source” by Aug. 1 and begin providing it to patients now on the state registry by Aug. 15.
The state will also cancel the previous application process and begin anew, choosing another six providers. Companies that applied last time can apply again and will not have to pay the application fee.
“We’ve literally created a time machine,” Werkheiser said.
The Legislature initially passed a law to provide low-THC cannabis oil to patients who suffer from a list of specific conditions in 2015 and six companies were approved to produce the substance, but companies that applied but were…