State launches medical marijuana registry

ATLANTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Georgia officials announced the launch of a new registry as part of the state’s recent passage of a bill legalizing medical marijuana for patients with some medical conditions two months after House Bill 1 was signed into law.

The announcement comes as members of the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis met for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

Doctors who have signed up for the registry say it was an easy process. First the patient must meet one of the eight qualified medical conditions, including seizure disorders, cancer and other diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s disease and multiple sclerosis. The doctor must approve cannabis oil as a treatment. The doctor then registers the patient online, the patient gets the card a few weeks later, and then can legally use cannabis oil in the state. The card costs $25. The patient will pick it up at one of 18 registrar locations across the state and is valid for two years.

People using cannabis oil still face the problem of getting access to it. Corey Lowe of Canton was one of the first families to receive a temporary registration card in April. Her 13-year-old daughter Victoria suffers from seizures. Lowe says thanks to the cannabis oil, her daughter’s health has improved tremendously. Lowe says she gets the oil from a distributor in South Carolina. She adds she’s willing to whatever it takes, even break the law, to help her child. It’s against federal law to travel across state lines with medical marijuana.

“I dare a federal prosecutor to prosecute me for saving my child’s life. I dare any one of them,” Lowe said. ”Is it worth the risk?” 41NBC’s Amanda Castro asked. “It’s worth the risk. Her life means way more to me and if I’m in prison I’m confident that we have a community that will make sure she’s well taken care of and I would spend the rest of my days in prison knowing that she’s seizure free.”

The panel is responsible for making recommendations about what type of medical marijuana the state should allow. Representative Allen Peake hopes the commission will come up with the best in-state growth, cultivation, and distribution model for cannabis oil. He adds there is a federal solution to solving the problem of access.

“We need some changes at the federal level. Georgia has done its part, now it’s time for Congress to act. They need to change the damn law,” Peake said.

The commission also heard a presentation about how other states have legalized medical marijuana and similar proposals in Congress. Thirty-nine states, plus Washington D.C., have some form of medical marijuana law.

Commission members include lawmakers, along with representatives from medicine, law enforcement, and state agency leaders. The commission must submit a recommendation to the governor and general assembly by the end of the year.

In March, Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order directing state agencies to start preparations for the enactment of the state’s medical marijuana bill. The bill was signed into law on April 16th.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.