A Democratic Senate would be good for the cannabis industry, but it’s hopeful for reform regardless. Marijuana isn’t technically on the ballot in Georgia’s Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections. But it might as well be: Cannabis advocates and trade groups are zeroing in on the state in hopes of ousting—or converting to their cause—its two […]
Georgia
Georgia medical marijuana commission opens applications for production
Georgia is accepting applications from businesses to manufacture medical marijuana in the state, getting one step closer to allowing those in need of the cannabis oil to legally obtain it — five years after the state Legislature legalized the treatment. The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission unanimously approved the process that would allow the state’s […]
Hemp bill leaves some cops unable to enforce marijuana laws in Georgia
The General Assembly recently passed a bill to help police enforce marijuana laws without hindering the state’s young hemp farming industry. But prosecutors and police say it won’t change how they handle suspected marijuana cases. Possession of small amounts of marijuana will remain decriminalized in several jurisdictions, and a low priority in many others. Misdemeanor cases are more […]
Director hired to run Georgia’s new medical marijuana program
Georgia’s medical marijuana board has hired its first executive director, Andrew Turnage, a government administrator with experience in licensing. Turnage will be responsible for the start-up of a program to distribute cannabis oil to patients who are already allowed to use the drug but have no legal way to buy it. “We have one goal, and that’s […]
Business Is Booming For Georgia’s Marijuana Trade
As businesses, bars and restaurants across Georgia close their doors during the coronavirus pandemic, one product continues to thrive: marijuana. A dealer who works inside the Perimeter said they sold last month nearly three times as much marijuana as normal. They’ve struggled to keep up with demand as customers asked for larger and larger quantities. […]
Georgia bill advances for police to make arrests for hemp or marijuana
Police across Georgia would be empowered to arrest people for possession of small amounts of green leafy substances, even if they can’t tell whether it’s illegal marijuana or legal hemp, according to a bill that passed a state House committee Tuesday. The bill would make it a crime to transport hemp plants without paperwork showing […]
Medical marijuana card-holder numbers soar in Georgia
The number of Georgians with cards allowing possession of medical cannabis has soared more than 70 percent in one year. Currently, 14,511 people in Georgia have permission to possess ‘‘low THC oil,’’ officials of the state’s Department of Public Health said this week. That’s up from 8,402 about a year ago. THC is the psychoactive […]
Hemp-CBD Across State Lines: Georgia
By Nathalie Bougenies, Attorney @ Harris Bricken The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department […]
Georgia Gov. Kemp signs medical marijuana bill
Some Georgia patients will soon be allowed to legally buy the marijuana they are already allowed to possess. Because of a legal quirk, patients and families have regularly broken the law to obtain low-potency medical marijuana oil. Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed a bill that would fix that problem, calling the new law a carefully crafted, […]
NEW: Medical marijuana sales approved by Georgia Legislature
The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill late Tuesday that allows medical marijuana sales, providing a way for patients to buy the drug that they’re already allowed to use. The legislation, House Bill 324, licenses private companies and universities to grow medical marijuana. Then pharmacies and possibly dispensaries could sell it to the state’s 8,400 registered […]