The current status of medical marijuana in Georgia

Medical marijuana is available for some people in Georgia as long as they qualify by having a very specific and serious illness.

While marijuana is federally illegal, there are some states in which it can be consumed for medical purposes, recreationally, or both. Georgia is one of the states that allows what is known as medical marijuana. However, in order to gain access to this type of treatment while avoiding criminal charges, a person needs to be suffering from a significantly life-altering illness. By knowing the laws about marijuana and how it is viewed from a medical perspective, people can stay on the right side of the law.

What qualifies a patient to use medical marijuana?

There is a short list of diseases that can have medical marijuana prescribed as a treatment in Georgia. End or severe diagnosis stages of Sickle Cell Disease or Parkinson’s Disease warrant a prescription. Mitochondrial Disease and Chrohn’s Disease can also be treated with medical cannabis. Severe or late stage Multiple Sclerosis can be a reason to give a patient medical cannabis, as can Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Furthermore, there are certain seizure disorders that marijuana is used to treat. Even people who suffer from Cancer have to be vomiting, nauseated, and wasting away in order to be prescribed medical marijuana.

The medical oil exception

While the above list is very restrictive, it is possible for people who have a certain type of registration card to use a type of marijuana oil, as long as they satisfy the following conditions:

· A person can only possess up to 20 ounces of the oil at once time, and it must be in a clearly labeled pharmaceutical container.

· The oil is required to have a level of CBD that equals or exceeds the THC, and the THC content can be only as high as 5 percent.

· A parent is required to be the caregiver of a patient who is under 18 years of age.

· The card used by the patient needs to be approved by the Georgia Department of Health.

The only way for a patient to qualify is if their physician is treating him or her for the specific condition the marijuana is being prescribed for, and only if they have a pre-established patient-physician relationship.

The laws

Georgia is one of the strictest states when it comes to how possession and sale of marijuana is prosecuted. Those who intend to sell marijuana illegally are subject to fines of at least $5,000 and prison sentences ranging from 1 to 40 years. Even being caught in possession of less than an ounce requires a mandatory minimum sentence of one year of incarceration and a fine of $1,000.

If someone in Georgia has had to deal with the hardship of criminal charges, they may find the sound representation they need by calling an attorney in their local area who practices criminal defense.