Medical marijuana bill rewritten in squabble between House and Senate

A medical marijuana bill grew from 12 to 54 pages on the floor of the Georgia House, a drastic rewriting of the legislation as representatives seek ways to increase transparency and expand the number of producers.

The bill’s fate was uncertain Wednesday night after the House voted 154-13 to approve a new version of the proposal, sending it back to the state Senate.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Senate leaders oppose expanding the medical marijuana program as envisioned by the House. Senators have backed greater transparency when companies bid for production licenses, but they’ve resisted awarding additional licenses.

Two companies are planning to begin selling medical marijuana as soon as June.

- LIVE: Watch streams of the Georgia House and Senate

About the Author

Mark Niesse

Mark Niesse covers voting rights and elections for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also reports on the Georgia House of Representatives and government. He has been a reporter at the AJC since 2013 following a decade at The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Ala.

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