Georgia’s MMJ patients are still forced to rely on the illicit market 7 years after legalization

By Nina Zdinjak

Cannabis advocates around the world are pushing for the plant’s legalization to make it more available and, of course, safer. Unfortunately, legalization is not always enough. With that comes burdensome regulations and often complicated cannabis programs that take an inordinate amount of time to set up.

In developing their legal programs, US states tend to look at how other states have successfully conducted the process in order to avoid mistakes made by others. But, as they say, easier said than done.

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For example, Georgia lawmakers probably had good intentions in making medicinal cannabis available as soon as it became legal almost seven years ago. Unfortunately, MMJ patients in the Peach State say medical cannabis has been more difficult to obtain in recent years than it was prior to legalization, Alive reported.

In 2019, the state passed legislation that would allow up to six companies to be licensed to grow and manufacture medical marijuana. But legislation faltered under the weight of litigation one after another; 16 protests were mainly filed by companies that were passed over for licenses.

Georgia only issued six licenses last July, and sadly, after eight months, no one is legally producing medical marijuana anymore.

“Real Lives Are Affected”

Unfortunately, that’s not all.

According to medical cannabis advocate Dale Jackson of LaGrange, who needs medical marijuana to treat his autistic son, out-of-state sources are drying up, forcing those in need to turn to illegal sellers.

“None of you understand how I can legally get oil, because legally I can’t,” Jackson told a House committee this week. “Everywhere in the country. Colorado, nowhere.”

Jackson further confirmed to the committee that he traveled to Colorado to buy it and then illegally shipped the oil back to Georgia himself. But now it looks like out-of-state dispensaries are refusing to sell him marijuana oil for fear of losing their licenses.

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“Then I’ll go to the next state. And the next. Do you know where I end up?” Jackson said to the committee. “I end up about a block and a half from[the state capital]and buy my son’s medicine from a drug dealer.”

Jackson added, “So this is what seven years looks like to me. This is real folks. Real life is affected by it.”

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What is the solution?

There are currently three proposed bills that could potentially resolve this important matter. A bill in the House proposes increasing the number of legal licenses from 6 to 12, while another bill aims to increase the number of licenses to 22. Jackson supports the second.

There is also a bill that would allow the governor to temporarily issue licenses in place of the state’s Medicinal Cannabis Commission.

It looks like either suggestion is better than the current situation, so hopefully the situation will be easier and safer for Georgia’s medical marijuana patients and Jackson’s autistic son, whichever one is adopted.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.