Georgia to Become First State to Permit Medicinal Marijuana at Pharmacies

According to state officials, Georgia will soon be the first state in the United States to sell medicinal marijuana products at independent pharmacies.

Despite the fears of local officials, marijuana-flavored drinks won't be available at their neighborhood drugstore next to the Coke Zero. However, by the end of the year, those who satisfy the incredibly strict requirements outlined in Georgia's conservative medical cannabis law should be able to purchase low-dose THC products from their pharmacist – a first for the country.

Pharmacists have been fielding questions from patients for years without ever having the ability to do anything about it.

-Gary Long, CEO of Botanical Sciences

They believe, he said, that the company would be selling marijuana out of a drugstore or something similar, but that is incorrect. Lastly, we will be able to provide people with the remedies they have been looking for in addition to therapy.

Georgia has two approved medicinal cannabis-producing firms, one of which is Botanical Sciences.

The maximum THC level allowed under Georgia legislation is 5%. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the component of the cannabis plant that gives users a "high." For this reason, doctors may advise patients to take medicinal cannabis to treat pain, nausea, sleeplessness, and other conditions.

THC oil, tinctures, topicals, pills, and lozenges are examples of products. Although national retailers like CVS and Walmart have decided not to carry THC products in Georgia, according to Long, 130 neighborhood pharmacies have already committed to carry just his product.

The professional group that represents the more than 400 independent pharmacies in the state claims that many of them are interested in obtaining the unique THC sale license. According to Long, this would place 90% of Georgians within 30 minutes of a drugstore that could sell it.

Although the distribution of low-dose THC oil was allowed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2019, the state has yet to establish the necessary legal framework to allow its sale. Experts suggest it might be a bit difficult to create regulations.

Despite efforts to reclassify it, marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule 1 substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which indicates that there is no recognized medicinal purpose for it at this time and that there is a significant risk of addiction.

The federal government classifies cannabis in the same category as heroin, LSD, and meth, so theoretically, selling any kind of cannabis is prohibited.

A provision in the funding limits the Justice Department by forbidding it from using any funds to pursue anybody who complies with state laws permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Thus, under that legal limbo, Georgia Board of Pharmacy regulations that authorized pharmacies to apply to sell THC were approved by Gov. Brian Kemp last month.

Long expressed his hope that Georgia will think about broadening the list of those who can obtain THC. Georgia's law is more stringent than that of the majority of the 38 states that permit the medicinal use of cannabis products, even though access is more equal with regard to pharmacy sales.

Physicians can recommend medicinal marijuana to any patient in places like Massachusetts if they believe it would benefit them. 16 illnesses, such as Alzheimer's, certain cancer stages, PTSD, sickle cell, and Crohn's, are prohibited in Georgia.