Medical Marijuana ready for production and sale in Georgia

ATLANTA — Low-potency THC medical marijuana oil will soon be available for sale in dispensaries in Georgia.

This week, state regulators awarded licenses to two companies to grow, market and distribute medical marijuana, which has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of illnesses, including chronic pain and seizures. Advocates applauded the move.

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“We are ecstatic this is finally moving forward. This is a long time coming for Georgia,” said parent Shannon Cloud.

Cloud has been a major advocate for medical marijuana. She has been lobbying the state legislature for years to approve the sale of the drug, which has been shown to be effective in relieving medical problems that her daughter suffers from.

“My daughter Elana is 17 years old. She has seizures. We have been fighting for her and the thousands of people who need access to this medicine,” said Cloud.

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Medical marijuana will be produced in an oil form, and cannot have THC potency of over 5 percent. THC is the compound that creates a euphoric feeling. The state commission responsible for awarding licenses for the growing and sale of medical marijuana says it will help to curb addiction to narcotic pain-killing drugs, like Oxycontin.

“Everyone I know is aware of the struggle with narcotics and substance abuse in our country. And this has been proven as an effective alternative,” said Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission Executive Director Andrew Turnage.

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To qualify for medical marijuana, one must get a doctor’s prescription and submit paperwork to the Georgia Department of Public Health to get a registry card.

The cost of the card is $25. The cost of medical marijuana oil is predicted to be $100 to $300 per month for a patient.

The medical cannabis commission has not yet awarded four other licenses to companies that have applied. The executive director says products should be available in the next three months.

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