“For the patients that this program is designed to serve, it’s not always worked well enough. This bill is an effort to make sure that for the patients, this program works better.”
By Maya Homan, Georgia Recorder
A bill aimed at modernizing Georgia’s medical cannabis program passed the House with broad bipartisan support, marking another step in lawmakers’ years-long effort to incrementally increase patients’ access to the program.
Senate Bill 220, introduced by Newnan Republican Sen. Matt Brass, would expand the conditions eligible to receive a medical cannabis card, change the limits on the amount of cannabis that someone can possess and enable patients to vape the product. It passed the House in a 138-21 vote.
The changes made to the bill incorporate feedback from a House study committee that met last year to examine the issue, according to Rep. Mark Newton, an Augusta Republican who sponsored the bill in the House. In a speech shortly before Wednesday’s vote, he said updates to the program were needed to ensure that patients and providers can successfully navigate the program.
“For the patients that this program is designed to serve, it’s not always worked well enough,” Newton said. “This bill is an effort to
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
