Georgia’s long-delayed medical marijuana program is about to take off. However, a string of unresolved lawsuits still lingers from companies that lost out in the bidding for licenses.
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission is expected to vote Jan. 25 on rules for the companies. All aspects of the program are being voted on, from close supervision of growing the leaf crop in the greenhouse to the manufacturing of low-THC cannabis oil used to treat patients suffering from a variety of diseases.
The commission voted in September to award the first two of six production licenses authorized in a law the General Assembly passed in 2019. The two production companies are Trulieve Georgia, which is building a production facility in Adel, and Botanical Sciences LLC, which will set up shop in Glennville. Executives from both companies endorsed the proposed rules during a public hearing Aug. 18 and said they are ready to go.
The four Class 2 licenses that allow a growth space up to 50,000 square are in a legal logjam with 16 companies that were unsuccessful in bidding for those licenses filing lawsuits last year. Expedited hearings are expected to take place soon and lawmakers are expected to find a legislative solution during the current session.
