Parents worry changes to medical marijuana laws could mean starting from square one

ATLANTA — Parents of some children who need medical cannabis oil could soon get it legally in Georgia, even though lawmakers tossed out the process for awarding licenses to low THC producers.

Those parents told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that they still worry about the process going back to square one.

Elliot spoke with Shannon Cloud on Wednesday. She is a mother of a teenager who needs low THC oil to control seizures.

Cloud spoke with Elliot from the parking lot of a Target store because she just made an admittedly illegal delivery of medical cannabis oil.

“On my way here, I did meet someone in a gas station parking lot to give medicine for a mom that has two children with autism and seizures, and they rely on the ability to get that medicine,” Cloud said.

While it’s legal to possess medical cannabis oil in Georgia, it’s still illegal to bring it here.

That’s why the legislature passed a law that would grant six companies special licenses to grow, manufacture and distribute it.

But that process was so badly flawed, the state House voted to throw it out and start over and open up the licensing to more than 20 companies.

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Cloud is terrified that will set them back some three full years.

“At this point, as a patient organization, we don’t care who gets the licenses. Just get some companies up and running so that patients don’t have to wait anymore,” Cloud said.

“They won’t be at square one,” Georgia House Speaker David Ralston told Elliot.

Ralston said the bill will also direct the state to purchase low THC oil and bring it back to Georgia, so the parents will have legal access to it by August.

“We’re taking care of the delay, and, you know, I regret the delay, but frankly, you know, we just had to sort of tear it down and start over,” Ralston said.

Cloud doubts the state can get enough medical cannabis oil to distribute to all 23,000 registered people who need it.

“Those of us who are helping people, we’re tired to having to meet people in parking lots to get the medicine and feel like we’re doing a drug deal when in reality, this is just medicine for our kids,” Cloud said.

It is against federal law to transport medical cannabis oil over state lines even if a state does it.

But Ralston said he has assurances that the federal government does not plan to prosecute for it.

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