Decade after Georgia lawmakers legalized low-THC medical cannabis, Legislature weighs broader access

A line gathers outside of Tulieve's Marietta location which was one of the first medical cannabis dispensaries to open in the state of Georgia on Friday, April 28, 2023. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Ten years after Georgia legalized cannabis possession for medical use, lawmakers in both chambers of the state Legislature seem poised to expand access a bit more.

Georgia lawmakers had long resisted decriminalizing possession of the drug because of its stigmatizing medical marijuana nickname, even as a parade of parents annually brought their children to the state Capitol as evidence of the need for the medicine that offered a promise of relief to little ones suffering from epileptic seizures and other maladies.

Attempts to widen the path to accessing medical cannabis have stalled in recent years, but as the pivotal Crossover Day deadline looms March 6, at least one bill has made it halfway through the Legislature.