Bibb County among first in Georgia to get medical cannabis dispensaries
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC) held a public meeting Wednesday and voted to issue the state's first five dispensing licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries in Bibb, Chatham and Cobb Counties, according to a GMCC news release.
ATLANTA (41NBC/WMGT) – The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC) held a public meeting Wednesday and voted to issue the state’s first five dispensing licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries in Bibb, Chatham and Cobb Counties, according to a GMCC news release.
The licenses were granted to Botanical Sciences LLC and Trulieve GA Inc, marking a historic milestone for Georgia patients registered with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Low-THC Oil Patient Registry.
Botanical Sciences’ website says its locations will be announced soon. Trulieve’s website lists a Macon address of 3556 Riverside Drive, along with the text: “Coming Soon!”
“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.
GMCC says the Low-THC Oil Patient Registry has more than doubled since its inception in 2015, with more than 27,000 registered patients now on the list.
Botanical Sciences and Trulieve have been working hard to get their production facilities fully operational, according to Andrew Turnage, the Executive Director of the GMCC.
“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,” he said.
Turnage also noted this is only the beginning, with more dispensaries expected to be licensed in the future as patient numbers grow. Dispensaries must pass a pre-operational inspection and be fully operational within 120 days of receiving their license.
The Commission is currently authorized to issue up to six dispensing licenses to each of the production licensees, but legal challenges have prevented the issuance of four Class 2 production licenses to other applicants, according to the Commission.
“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.
Click here to visit the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission website.
