Georgia Regulators Propose Allowing Home Delivery of Medical Cannabis
- The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission has proposed new rules to allow medical cannabis deliveries directly to patients' homes via USPS or private carriers, restricted to the registered patient's address.
- The proposal includes provisions for deliveries to long-term care and health care facilities, allowing these institutions to register and securely receive medical cannabis on behalf of patients to reduce security risks.
- The new delivery system follows the federal reclassification of state-regulated medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, easing legal concerns about transportation of cannabis products.
- Georgia's medical cannabis program has expanded significantly since July 1, increasing patient registrations and expanding qualifying conditions and product types, though smoking cannabis remains prohibited.
Georgia medical cannabis patients could soon have products delivered directly to their homes under a new set of rules proposed by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission.
The commission formally posted the proposed rule changes on August 13, including a new rule governing delivery of medical cannabis. A public hearing on the package is scheduled for September 16 at 4 p.m. ET in Atlanta.
Under the proposal, medical cannabis could be delivered through the United States Postal Service or a private carrier, with shipments restricted to the address associated with a registered patient’s medical cannabis card.
Commission Executive Director Andrew Turnage said during Thursday’s meeting that deliveries would be required to go directly to registered patients rather than being sent to another location.
“That dispensing will occur through either the United States Postal Service or through a private carrier, and it can only go directly to the registered patient at the patient’s address that’s on their card,” Turnage said.
The commission is also proposing a pathway for deliveries to patients living in long-term care and other health care facilities. Georgia law allows qualifying health care institutions to obtain registration cards when they are caring for patients authorized to possess medical cannabis.
Turnage said allowing institutions to purchase and receive products on behalf of patients could reduce security concerns associated with employees traveling to dispensaries and transporting medical cannabis themselves.
“This creates a much more secure transaction for that healthcare facility to be able to make a purchase at our dispensaries and have that shipped and delivered securely to those facilities,” he said, citing concerns including diversion, theft and robbery.
The proposed delivery system comes several months after the federal government moved state-regulated medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. The commission has pointed to the federal change as addressing some of the legal concerns surrounding transportation of products.
Georgia’s medical cannabis program has also experienced a sharp increase in participation following a major expansion that took effect July 1. The Medical Cannabis Patient Registry grew from 34,042 patients on July 1 to 45,356 as of August 5.
The July expansion, enacted through the Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act, broadened both the conditions and products covered by the program. Registered patients can now access products including oils, tinctures, transdermal patches, lotions, capsules, ingestibles and vaporizer products, including cannabis flower intended for vaporization. Smoking marijuana remains prohibited.
Georgia currently recognizes 18 qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), epilepsy-related seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, intractable pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lupus and certain cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), among others.
The commission will accept public feedback on the proposed delivery and other rule changes during its September 16 hearing before moving forward with the regulatory process.