Georgia low-THC medical marijuana program growing by 1,000 patients per month

Despite the 5% THC cap on medical marijuana products in Georgia, the state program has reportedly been gaining steam with the local population, with residents signing up at a rate of about 1,000 per month.

The program now boasts 21,368 registered medical cannabis patients in the state, along with 1,542 registered caregivers and another 712 physicians registered to write patient recommendations, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Around 75% of registered patients report using medical cannabis to treat either intractable pain or post-traumatic stress disorder, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Public Health told the Journal-Constitution. The rest are primarily patients suffering from cancer, seizure disorders and peripheral neuropathy, though a few other ailments are also considered qualifying conditions for the medical cannabis registry.

The state is enacting reforms aimed at making access easier for patients, including letting patients receive their program registration ID cards mailed to their home, instead of having to pick them up in person. The length of validity for patient cards has also been extended to five years from two.

The restrictive program only allows patients to purchase and possess liquid cannabis oil, capsules, tinctures, and topicals, while smokable flower, edibles and other product types remain prohibited. Only around a dozen dispensaries are yet operational in Georgia.

But for many of the registered patients, the program has been a god-send, Frank Eady of the Pancreatic Cancer Support Group at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory told the Journal-Constitution.

“It has given people another option other than prescription drugs and surgical procedures,” Eady said.

While the Georgia medical program is apparently burgeoning, it’s also still comparatively small. Neighboring Florida has 884,982 registered medical cannabis patients as of Aug. 9, according to the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use, and does not cap THC potency as Georgia does.

Florida also has 661 operational dispensaries and will be voting on whether to legalize recreational marijuana this coming November. If the measure is successful, many Georgia patients may begin traveling south for their over-the-counter medicine.