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
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 […]
Medical marijuana bill legalizing cultivation and distribution clears Georgia Senate
A bill that would allow the distribution and sale of medical marijuana in Georgia passed the state Senate Friday, a key hurdle in the closing days of the legislative session. House Bill 324 would allow distribution of the drug through up to 28 dispensaries statewide. And it would allow four growing licenses for the state. The […]
Medical marijuana in Georgia is legal to have, but illegal to get
For Robert Bowles, a retired pharmacist with Lewy body dementia, placing an order at a fast-food restaurant can quickly dissolve into a fit of frustration. He struggles with anxiety and depression. Often, he loses his train of thought. “I feel like I’m in a closet and don’t see a way out,” says Bowles, who is […]
Medical marijuana dispensaries bill passes Georgia House
The Georgia House approved a bill Tuesday that would allow medical marijuana oil to be sold to registered patients, giving them a legal way to obtain a drug that they’re already allowed to use. The legislation, which passed on a 123-40 vote, would permit medical marijuana growing, manufacturing, testing and distribution. Sixty dispensaries would serve the state’s […]
Georgia Lawmaker Introduces Recreational Marijuana Bill
ATLANTA – The move to legalize recreational marijuana is gaining some traction in the state capitol, but the lawmaker behind it admits it won’t be easy. Given the fact that Georgia has a GOP-controlled legislature and it’s an election year, Channel 2 political reporter Richard Elliot learned the chances the state will legalize recreational marijuana is slim, but […]
City of Atlanta Decriminalizes Marijuana
Atlanta’s city council decided unanimously to decriminalize marijuana Monday night. They voted 15-0 to make the penalty for possession of one ounce or less a $75 fine — a move that aims to neutralize uneven policing and enforcement of drug laws in the city where 92% of individuals arrested for marijuana between 2014 and 2016 were […]
Georgia Patients Still Waiting For Legal Means To Purchase Marijuana
Proponents of the use of medical cannabis anxiously await word on a federal agency’s decision on how to classify marijuana. The Drug Enforcement Administration said earlier this year that it may loosen restrictions on marijuana, although its self-imposed June 30 deadline for a decision has come and gone. Sebastien Cotte, an advocate for medical marijuana, […]
Georgia Mom Fighting to Change State’s “CBD Only” Medical Marijuana Law
A Georgia mom is helping to lead the charge to expand the state’s limited medical marijuana law, which she says unfairly excludes many patients with severe medical conditions — including her 5-year-old autistic daughter — who could benefit from the plant’s medicinal properties. “There are some pretty tenacious parents who are fighting,” said Jennifer Conforti, […]
Georgia Governor Warms to Limited Medical Marijuana Expansion
Gov. Nathan Deal won’t soon be backing a measure to allow Georgia manufacturers to grow medical marijuana. But he sent an undeniable signal Tuesday that he’s OK with a more limited version of the proposal to expand the list of medical conditions eligible for the drug. State Sen. Butch Miller, the governor’s floor leader, said late Tuesday […]
Push to Expand Georgia’s Medical Marijuana Law Stalls in State Senate
A bill that would expand the list of medical conditions that could be treated on Georgia’s medical marijuana law has stalled in committee, after Senate Health and Human Services Chairwoman Renee Unterman, R-Buford, said Monday that she will not schedule a hearing on it before the Legislature ends work March 24. House Bill 722 would […]
Georgia Bill to Allow Marijuana Cultivation Is Dead For This Year
The author of legislation aimed at expanding the state’s medical marijuana law said he won’t continue to push for cultivation in Georgia this year after the bill ran into problems in committee Monday. The House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee eliminated a provision in House Bill 722 that would have allowed limited cultivation and production of cannabis oil. […]
Georgia Governor Questions Proposed Medical Marijuana Expansion
The drive to allow the cultivation of medical marijuana in Georgia already has enough juice to pass the House. But it will take more than that to convince Gov. Nathan Deal to get behind the legislation. The governor again said he was concerned that law enforcement officials raised questions about state Rep. Allen Peake’s proposal. […]
Will New Bill Expand Medical Marijuana Legalization in Georgia?
The sponsor of this year’s bill legalizing medical marijuana in Georgia will push to expand the law, despite opposition from Gov. Nathan Deal and a study commission created by the governor. State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, said Tuesday he plans to pre-file legislation next week allowing marijuana to be grown in Georgia and used to […]
Georgia Voters Overwhelmingly Support Expanding State’s Medical Marijuana System
A new statewide poll just released to 11Alive News shows Georgia voters massively support expanding the current medical marijuana bill. According to Georgians for Freedom in Health Care 84.5% approve expanding the law to allow for in state cultivation and production of medical marijuana under strict regulation and security. Currently Georgia law allows permits […]
Legalizing Medical Marijuana? Georgia Finds It’s No Simple Matter
Georgia law enforcement officials said Wednesday that any expansion of medical marijuana in Georgia will need extensive regulations to protect patients and to be sure the system isn’t exploited. GBI Director Vernon Keenan and others said if the state makes marijuana broadly available for medical reasons it should mirror federal pharmaceutical law that requires extensive testing and […]
Results from medical cannabis trials in Georgia show early promise
By Kristina Torres – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia-based clinical trials have shown early promise in using cannabis oil to treat epileptic seizures, although researchers said they won’t know for sure until at least the end of next year what strides they have made in the study of medical marijuana. The update came Wednesday during the […]
