The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently reported about Georgia being one of the most recent states to pass legislation allowing cannabis to be used in certain medical applications. However, the problem now lies in the fact that the limited law only covers possessing the CBD oil itself, but doesn’t factor in where or how the patients can obtain the medicine in the first place. In response, advocates are now working to try to get lawmakers to allow in-state growing and distribution.
As parents of a child with severe epilepsy, Shannon and Blaine Cloud formed the Georgians for Freedom in Healthcare group, which is the driving force behind working to change this law. They, like other parents, are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is now legal for them to obtain CBD oil to treat their child, but they’re powerless to purchase the oil.
Many face the long and expensive trip to Colorado (and other states where it’s legal) to purchase CBD oil and bring it home; however, getting it home involves hiding the oil in luggage should they choose to fly, which is still illegal under federal law.
What about getting the CBD oil shipped? Well there are currently just three companies that are shipping CBD oil to Georgia – a fact that many families who desperately need access must learn without state government assistance. On top of that, the issue is that they only produce limited strains and not every strain helps every individual in the same ways.
Clearly, these access limitations are coming at the expense of Georgia families like the Clouds. Nevertheless, it’s one step in the right direction.