Georgia House Approves Bill to Add More Medical Marijuana Conditions

Senate Bill 16 — seeking to expand Georgia’s medical marijuana program — has passed the House committee. This is a big step as it is the first formal “okay” for the expansion. In order to move the bill forward, a few compromises had to be made.

If passed, Senate Bill 16, would allow six more conditions to qualify for medical marijuana treatment, according to AJC.com.  The bill would not expand the types of medical marijuana products that could be used, the only option would remain to be marijuana oil. Patients in hospice care would be permitted to possess marijuana oil with passage of the bill.

The six conditions that could be added are:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• AIDS
• Autism
• Epidermolysis bullosa
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Tourette’s syndrome

Another change made to the bill is allowing out-of-state visitors to use medical marijuana oil for up to 45-days, with proper out-of-state medical marijuana identification is current. The patient must also have a condition that Georgia allows to be treated with medical marijuana oil.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana president Kevin Sabet said, “We need to fast track FDA-approved medications so people can get relief from medications with known dosages and purity. We don’t want anyone to suffer needlessly. But this is not the most responsible move by any means the Legislature could have taken.”

While the expansion is progress, not everyone agrees with the changes or the expansion. Controversy continues to stir regarding medical marijuana in Georgia.