ATLANTA — After nearly 10 years in the making, medical marijuana is now available in Georgia as its first dispensaries opened April 28 in Macon and Marietta.

They are two of five locations issued dispensing licenses by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission during an April 26 vote. The two facilities, operated by Trulieve GA, are located at 3556 Riverside Dr. in Macon and 220 Cobb Parkway in Marietta.  

“We believe that access to medical cannabis improves lives, and Trulieve is proud to be the first to provide that access to the state of Georgia,” said Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve. “We look forward to providing high quality products and an elite experience.”

GMCC bylaws require the three other dispensaries issued licenses to be fully operational within 120 days of the date the license was issued.

Trulieve GA plans to open three more dispensaries in Columbus, Newnan and Pooler. Botanical Sciences LLC, which received two dispensary licenses April 26, plans to open locations in Pooler and Marietta.

In July 2021, the GMCC awarded the two companies Class I licenses, allowing growing, cultivating and manufacturing THC oil in an indoor space no more than 100,000 square feet.

“Our [Class 1 production] licensees, Botanical and Trulieve, have been working hard to get their production facilities fully operational,” said Andrew Turnage, executive director of the GMCC. “They have each signaled they are ready to sell to registered patients by applying for these initial dispensing licenses. We look forward to joining the two companies for their dispensary grand openings as they begin to provide low-THC oil and products to Georgia patients.”

The medical cannabis medication will be provided to patients who are on the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Low-THC Oil Patient Registry and have a medical card. The medication is in non-smokable forms — such as liquid tinctures, topical creams, pills or capsules.

According to the GMCC, since 2015, the Low-THC Oil Patient Registry has grown from 13,000 to more than 27,000 registered patients. That number is expected to grow as medical cannabis becomes more widely available. 

As required by a 2019 law approved by Georgia legislators, only issued two Class I licenses and four Class II licenses were allowed to be issued. Approximately 70 applications were received.

The issuance of the Class II licenses — which allow up to 50,000 square feet of indoor space for growing, cultivating and manufacturing low level THC oil — are on hold due to temporary restraining orders issued after lawsuits from nine applicants that weren’t awarded licenses alleging unfair and inconsistent scoring by the commission.

Due to the pending lawsuit, the Commission has not issued the four Class II production licenses to the tentative candidates: FFD GA Holdings LLC, Theratrue Georgia LLC, Natures GA LLC, and Treevana Remedy Inc.

“We are hopeful that the Commission will be able to issue Class 2 production licenses to our top scoring applicants this year and pave more ways to provide Georgia patients with access to medical cannabis,” Turnage said. “The work of the Commission has always been focused on ‘access’ as mentioned in the agency’s name for our patients, and we are committed to ensuring that they receive the relief that they have waited years for.”

Georgia law authorizes the GMCC to issue up to five initial dispensing licenses to each production licensee, with the number of dispensing licenses to increase per 10,000 patients added to the Low-THC Oil Patient Registry.

Nearly 20 conditions and diseases qualify for medical cannabis including cancer, seizure disorders, sickle cell, post-traumatic tree disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. The Commission’s rules require dispensaries to pass a pre-operational inspection by the Commission or its employees before dispensing low-THC oil and products to registered patients.

“We appreciate the support and patience for the work of the Commission as we worked through the process required by law to ensure safe and quality access to medical cannabis,” GMCC Chair Sid Johnson said.

A full list of conditions and more details on obtaining a medical cannabis card and be found at dph.georgia.gov/low-thc-oil-registry.