Patients have been waiting 7 years for legal access to medical marijuana in Georgia, and a slew of complications at the legislative level have prevented that from happening.
Although Georgia’s medical marijuana program is on hold, voters will be asked to take a look at recreational cannabis in the upcoming primary election.
Complications with the medical marijuana program have stalled Georgia’s ability to distribute low-THC oil, and with lawsuits, protests, and still no cultivators, the future hasn’t looked very bright for Georgia’s medical marijuana program.
Now, voters who head to the polls in the primary election next month will be able to answer a simple question about recreational cannabis that could help legislators make more informed decisions.
Does Georgia Want Recreational Cannabis?
Upcoming Marijuana Question on Ballot
For Georgia’s upcoming open primary, voters will be asked about recreational cannabis on the democratic ballot, and whether marijuana should be regulated like alcohol.
Georgia’s open primaries allow any voter to fill out the democratic ballot on election day, so anyone could freely answer the question, though most people fill out the ballot for their respective party.
The question about recreational marijuana will be:
“Should marijuana be legalized, taxed and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older, with proceeds going towards education, infrastructure and health care programs?”
The question aims to point legislators in the direction that voters would prefer to see happen with cannabis in Georgia, though there’s not much evidence that there’s any bipartisan support at the legislative level.
Marijuana Ballot Question is Non-Binding, Won’t Change Any Laws on Cannabis in Georgia
The ballot question is non-binding and exists as an advisory question for legislators, there’s no requirement to put anything into law or change any laws.
At most, it gives legislators insight into where democratic voters sit with recreational legalization, and it’s unlikely that the results of the poll will cause any dramatic changes.
Georgia legislators haven’t been overwhelmingly supportive for cannabis in any type, whether that’s medical or recreational. Voter opinion is unlikely to sway lawmakers to design and implement any drastic change for the State’s restrictive laws on cannabis, though it’s a nice question to ask.
Should Georgia Legalize Marijuana for Recreation?
So, What About Medical Marijuana in Georgia?
Georgia’s limited medical marijuana plan is probably the most restrictive in the Country, next to Texas.
The State started with a limited, restrictive program, and ended with a restricted, limited program that isn’t even running, and it’s been that way for pushing a decade now.
Before Georgia tackles and fumbles recreational cannabis, it’s probably not a bad idea to get the medical marijuana program at least running, and then maybe look at getting it to run efficiently.
Recreational cannabis in Georgia isn’t much more than a distraction from the medical program, which recently became expedited with Governor Kemp’s distribution of emergency funds. The burden at the State level to incorporate a recreational marijuana program any time soon would be exhaustive, and likely a bigger ball-drop than the medical program.
Get Medical Marijuana Online, Then Legalize Recreational Cannabis in Georgia
At the end of the day, Georgia’s looking at a long year ahead with cannabis. While federal legalization of marijuana is looming, Georgia’s swiftly picking up the split ends of its failing medical program and looking to figure out where voters sit with recreational cannabis.
Even with Kemp’s funds and request to expedite the program, it’s a long and drawn-out process to get Georgia’s medical marijuana program out of the mud.
One of the main combatants has been the restrictive nature of the program to begin with, favoring exclusive and limited licenses for only a handful of operators will keep prices high, supply in demand, and bank accounts happy, but it won’t get medicine into the hands of patients any quicker.
We expect to see the hearings for Georgia’s cannabis debacle to begin soon, which should help speed up the process in getting cultivator licenses approved, but that’s just one step to getting the program off the ground, and we’re still months if not years away.
Anything could happen, though, and lawmakers may very well look to revitalize the program with a more expansive and less monopolized system in mind, and if legislators were to kick off the program with open access in mind, patients could see access to cannabis as medicine sooner than they think.
Get Your Georgia Marijuana Card
The medical marijuana in program is currently on hold while legislators work to process cultivator licenses. Once the program is up and running, patients will be able to register for Georgia’s low-THC registry and begin using cannabis-derived oil for qualifying conditions.
We will be processing medical marijuana certifications as soon as the system is live for Georgia patients.
Reserve your appointment today and get $25 off when we start processing applications!
Feel free to give us a call at (866) 781-5606, and we can help answer your questions about getting medical marijuana in Georgia
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