WHAT HAPPENED TO BILL ON GROWING MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and several senators plan to form a study committee to recommend how patients can safely access medical marijuana. By endorsing a study of the issue, senators made clear they don’t intend to support legislation this year that would allow medical marijuana harvesting and distribution. So chances that Georgia would legalize growing medical marijuana this year have dropped from slim to none.

The background

Georgia’s medical marijuana law, passed in 2015, made it legal for patients suffering from cancer and other illnesses to possess small amounts of cannabis oil if a physician approves. But state law still bans growing, buying or transporting the drug, leaving patients with no way to legally obtain it.

The legislation

Senate Resolution 983 would create the study committee and provide recommendations before next year’s legislative session. The resolution says Georgians need a safe and legal way to obtain cannabis oil. It also says that efforts to help these patients shouldn’t lead to recreational use of marijuana.

What they’re saying

“Georgians understand that many families depend on medical cannabis oil to treat otherwise debilitating illnesses,” Cagle said. “We are taking a major step to ensure that our state is doing everything possible to provide patients with the most effective treatments through a safe, reliable and accessible system.”

RICHARD VOGEL / ASSOCIATED PRESS Jars of medical marijuana are on display at a dispensary in Los Angeles. Efforts to permit the cultivation of medical marijuana have stalled in Georgia.