State Board to issue licenses to 5 dispensary Cannabis stores, including one in Marietta

The state board that oversees the medical marijuana program in Georgia voted last week to issue the state’s first five dispensing licenses for stores in the state including one in Marietta.

Other stores will be in the Macon and Savannah areas of the state and could be open to the public within days. This much needed action by the state now provides patients a way to legally buy the product they’ve been allowed to use for eight years in Georgia. This is great news for patients that have relied on this product for health purposes.

Dispensaries will be available only to patients and caregivers who show their Low-THC Oil Registry card and a photo ID. More than 27,000 patients are currently registered to consume medical marijuana and 19,000 caregivers are registered to buy it in Georgia, and those numbers are expected to significantly increase once stores open. 

Registry cards can be obtained from the Department of Public Health following approval from a physician to treat several conditions allowed under state law, including seizures, Parkinson’s disease and terminal cancers.

Sid Johnson, chairman for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission said, “It’s an understatement to say that significant progress has been made in getting safe and secure medication to certified patients across Georgia. They’ve waited a long time for this relief.”

Botanical Sciences and Trulieve, will operate the dispensaries in Georgia. They are limited to selling cannabis oil with no more than 5% THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high. Following an inspection of its facilities, Trulieve announced its plans to open stores in Marietta and Macon this week. 

The dispensaries have some work to do. They must train staff, submit their products for testing, package it for sale and be open for business within 120 days. As soon as they are ready to do business, they can begin serving customers. 

Recreational usage of marijuana remains illegal in Georgia.