Many states struggle with implementation after passing medical cannabis laws, but Georgia has moved quickly to get a registration-card system in place and launch the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis under the leadership of Commission Chair Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon).
Sadly, people must still leave Georgia to obtain their medicine, but these accomplishments show a genuine political commitment to create a system that can provide safe access to medical cannabis products.
Moving forward, lawmakers and commission members should remember that the best medical cannabis program is not necessarily the strictest, but the program that brings wellness to the greatest number of patients while creating effective regulations based on best practices.
Here’s an outline that will lead to dramatic benefits for Georgia’s potential medical cannabis patients.
Expand the qualifying conditions list
Doctors are in the best position to determine who should and should not be using medications because they are the ones who actually evaluate any given patient. They should be given discretion to use medical cannabis as guided by their professional medical opinion. Notably, physicians are able to write “off-label” prescriptions (meaning to treat a condition beyond what the FDA approved the drug to treat) when the drug could treat a patient’s condition and outweighs the potential risks. Georgia should let doctors, rather than politicians, determine when cannabis therapy is appropriate in their medical opinion. Moreover, overly restrictive condition lists lead to financially unstable dispensaries because many legitimate patients who wanted to be included could not qualify. Without these businesses, patients cannot obtain their medicine, so their financial health is vital to the program’s success.
Create lab testing and safety standards
Laboratory testing and safety standards are necessary to truly protect medical cannabis patients and assure they are getting the right product for their needs. Workers involved in the production, processing, and distribution of medical cannabis products need proper training, which can be established with smart regulations. Other consumer safety issues such as the use of pesticides, environmental impact of cultivation, and proper labeling need to be addressed as well. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has already created guidelines for cannabis cultivation that would serve Georgia well.
Prohibit discrimination against medical cannabis patients
Nobody should lose their job, lose custody of their children or be denied an organ transplant because they are a medical cannabis patient. Patients in other states have faced these additional hardships because their laws did not adequately address these issues. Georgia should pass robust civil discrimination laws that clarify that using medical cannabis alone is no reason to punish patients, such as those found in Arizona’s law.
Don’t try to reinvent the wheel
Georgia would do well to look at best practices in other states for guidance. Like the AHPA guidelines, there are many effective practices and guidelines in place across the nation that Georgia should look to as models. Americans for Safe Access will be revising its “Medical Marijuana Access in the U.S.” report later this year, which will update ASA’s evaluation of the existing medical cannabis programs across the country. Fortunately, the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis has already begun to investigate best practices to identify the rules and regulations that patients in Georgia deserve.
Don’t impose harmful restrictions on cultivation
Limitations on the number of plants or the number of grow facilities reduces the variety of products available and can lead to disruptions in the available supply of medicine. Similar problems can emerge when vertical integration is required. Requiring people to register with a single dispensary also creates potential burdens on patients that aren’t necessary. Worries about increased teen use of marijuana should not dictate the medical cannabis policy of the state, as a recent study published on June 15th by the Lancet has pointed out. Medical cannabis in Georgia can be well-regulated without burdening the patients the program is supposed to help.
Don’t prevent patients from inhaling their medicine
Requiring patients to use only oils or other non-inhalation delivery methods can be harmful depending on their medical condition and personal preferences. While non-inhalation methods of cannabis work for many patients, they should also have the option of inhaling cannabis.
Based on what I experienced at the first meeting of the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis, I am confident that the appointed members are sincere in creating a program that works best the patients of the state. If Georgia adopts the best of the best state medical cannabis laws and regulations, patients and their loved ones will benefit greatly.
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