Lawsuits Still Blocking Georgia’s Licensed Cannabis Cultivators After Eight Months

Eight months after Georgia awarded six medical cannabis cultivation licenses, there is still nobody in Georgia growing plants or producing products under the state’s program, 11Alive reports. Medical cannabis use was legalized in the state in 2015 and the law allowing in-state cultivation for the program was established in 2019.

Following the approval of the licenses, 16 companies that were not chosen by the state filed a lawsuit challenging the issuance of the licenses, which has prevented those awarded a license from beginning operations, the report says.

Medical cannabis advocate Dale Jackson, whose son uses medical cannabis to treat his autism, said during a legislative committee hearing that out-of-state dispensaries have stopped selling to him because he is a resident of Georgia and they know he is violating federal law by crossing state lines with the products and fear that, if he’s caught, they could lose their licenses.

“Then I go to the next state. And the next one. You know where I end up? I end up about a block and a half from (the state capitol), buying my son’s medicine from a drug dealer. … So that’s what seven years looks like to me. That’s real, people. Real lives are affected by this.” – Jackson during his remarks via 11Alive

During the hearing, which is considering a bill to expand the number of medical cannabis cultivators from six to 22, Jackson said it is 10 times harder to get cannabis for his son than it was prior to the state’s medical cannabis reforms.