Three-pronged Pressure to Cultivate Marijuana In-state

1. H.B. 65 Study Committee on Low THC Medical Oil Access

The official quest for in-state cultivation of marijuana in Georgia began in 2015, when H.B. 1 became law authorizing tetrahydrocannabinol1 (THC) treatment for eight2 specific conditions.

A 2017 law provided reciprocity for states requiring state-issued cards for THC treatment, cut physician reporting to twice a year, and made hospice patients and six more ailments3 eligible.

In 2018 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intractable pain were added when H.B. 65 passed to create a ten-member Joint Study Committee on Low THC Medical Oil Access. After holding five public meetings across the state, committee co-chairmen filed the following final recommendations:

H.B. 65 Study Committee Recommendations

1. Reclassify THC from a Schedule I drug to Schedule II, to legalize physician prescriptions.

2. If marijuana is not reclassified federally, the 2019 General Assembly should do so.

3. The Commission wants marijuana to be exempted from the Georgia Seed Law4.

4. Licenses: 10 for cultivation, 10 for manufacturing, and license dispensaries as necessary.

5. The Commission recommends control of labeling and state-wide laboratory testing.

6. The Commission recommends that the Georgia Department of Health oversee the process.

7. The Commission recommends prohibiting pesticides and insecticides on marijuana plants.

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