On Saturday, a state commission tasked with approving six companies for the growth and sale of medical marijuana oil announced their decision.
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission voted unanimously at its meeting in Rock Springs to select Trulieve GA Inc., Botanical Sciences LLC, FFD GA Holdings, TheraTrue Georgia LLC, Natures GA LLC and Treevana Remedy Inc. out of the nearly 70 companies that applied, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
While the decision is a step in the right direction for around 15,000 registered Georgia patients in need of the drug, Josh Garrison, owner of Alpine Dispensary in Helen, expressed his disbelief.
Garrison explained he believed the commission was only looking to approve companies for growing and processing the plant, not including the distribution of the oil.
“It came as a shock to us, because we have followed the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission since it’s inception…what the commission seems to have done is tied dispensing in there without telling you,” said Garrison. “The six companies that were chosen to dispense are also the same ones that are going to grow, process and sell, so they basically just created a monopoly.”
Under their licenses, each of the selected six companies will be allowed to open up to five dispensaries. As of this time, the six companies will only produce medical marijuana oil for sale.
Although he has followed the commission closely, Garrison said he opted not to apply for a license because he did not know it would include dispensing.
“There were no requirements in that application for any of the dispensing regulations,” said Garrison. “Do you have to have certain locks on your doors? Do you have to have certain security systems? We never saw anything on any of that…this is all news to us.”
According to the AJC, the commission utilized a set of standards set by state law to determine which companies would get the final approval. House Bill 324, also known as the medical marijuana bill, signed by Governor Kemp in 2019, permits two indoor cultivation licenses to companies with up to 100,000 square feet of growing space and four indoor cultivation licenses to companies with up to 50,000 square feet of growing space.
Each of the 69 companies that applied with the commission submitted business plans for consideration. Out of the applicants, Trulieve GA Inc., an affiliate of Florida-based Trulieve Cannabis Corp., and Botanical Sciences LLC, won the licenses to cultivate medical marijuana oil on 100,000 square feet of growing space. Companies FFD GA Holdings, TheraTrue Georgia LLC, Natures GA LLC and Treevana Remedy Inc. are the four limited to an indoor cultivation space of 50,000 square feet.
Medical marijuana oil contains less than 5% THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high, and is used to treat patients suffering from seizures, terminal cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
“We don’t know how they’re going to dispense it,” said Garrison. “Who’s going to price it? Where’s the competition going to come from? There’s so many questions about it, we’re just kind of floored all the way around.”
A member of the commission could not be reached for comment as of this report.
The six companies will have one year to begin operations once contracts are signed. Once the medical marijuana oil is produced and dispensaries open, only registered patients will be able to purchase the product.
Patients can obtain medical marijuana oil if they suffer from conditions covered in Georgia law, receive approval from a doctor and apply for a low THC oil registration card from the Georgia Department of Public Health, according to the AJC.
