Cannabis Milestone: Over-The-Counter Medical Marijuana Launches In Georgia Pharmacies

Dr. Ankit Patel became the first pharmacist in the U.S. to sell medical marijuana over the counter at his pharmacy Friday.

"It's awesome," Patel told CNN. "It's historic."

Patel’s Robins Pharmacy, along with Omega Pharmacy and the Allen Pharmacy Group in Georgia, received state licenses to sell low-THC medical marijuana in their drug stores. They can provide MMJ products, including oils, tinctures and capsules which can be prescribed for such issues as pain, anxiety, insomnia and PTSD. 

Georgia is the first U.S. state to permit pharmacies to sell medical marijuana, a decision that has been years in the making. This expansion of medical marijuana sales to drug stores, known as the pharmacy rule, will vastly expand access to patients. As it stands, there are only seven medical marijuana dispensaries in all of Georgia to serve tens of thousands suffering from such illnesses as Parkinson's disease, seizures, terminal cancers and more. 

The pharmacy program will put about 90% of Georgia's population within a 30-minute drive of a pharmacy that sells medical marijuana.

Hundreds Of Pharmacies Plan To Join Georgia’s Medical Marijuana Program

Over 400 independent pharmacies intend to participate in the program, with the exception of chains like CVS and Walgreens.

Pharmacies interested in selling will need to undergo inspections covering store security and staff knowledge. 

Dr. Jordan Day, the pharmacist at Omega Pharmacy in the small town of Omega, said she’ll begin selling THC products this week. 

"We'll be able to show them the products, hopefully give them a little bit of information, find out what they are wanting to use it for," Day told CNN, adding that she views medical marijuana as a viable replacement for pain, sleep and anxiety medicines.

"With the pharmacist and the doctor involved, that really is the best thing that the patient could have," Day said.

Which Companies Are Providing The Medical Marijuana?

At the moment, Georgia's two licensed cannabis producers are Botanical Sciences LLC and Trulieve Cannabis Corp. TRUL TCNNF are providing the pharmacies with MMJ products. The two were the first in Georgia to get the green light earlier this year to serve registered medical cannabis patients.

Medical Marijuana Expansion Bid

A coalition of community activists gathered on Friday and argued that Georgia's cannabis law is far too strict. They noted that people arrested for possessing marijuana in all but 12 of Georgia’s 537 cities are considered criminals. State Rep. Eric Bell, a Democrat, said he plans to introduce a cannabis reform bill at the start of the next legislative session expanding MMJ and decriminalizing recreational marijuana statewide to make sure a weed charge does not prevent a child from going to college, he said.

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