ATLANTA — Federal drug officers are warning Georgia to shelve its plans to be the primary state to permit pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana merchandise.

Information retailers report that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Nov. 27 warned pharmacies that shelling out medical marijuana violates federal legislation.

The Georgia Board of Pharmacy started accepting purposes to dispense the merchandise in October. Licenses have already been issued to 23 Georgia impartial pharmacies, the board stated.

The Georgia Entry to Medical Hashish Fee, which oversees Georgia’s fledgling medical marijuana business, stated it may possibly’t override the federal directive, though pharmacies are allowed to dispense the merchandise below state legislation.

Andrew Turnage, the fee’s government director, informed The Atlanta Journal-Structure the state would like to see pharmacists be allowed to proceed offering consultations for medical hashish merchandise as they do with different medicine.

In a memo to pharmacies, the DEA stated none of them can lawfully possess, deal with or dispense marijuana or associated merchandise containing greater than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol – the psychoactive chemical referred to as THC that offers customers a excessive.

Georgia lets sufferers with medical wants purchase medical marijuana merchandise with as much as 5% THC. Marijuana offered for leisure use sometimes has the next degree.

The DEA stated it considers merchandise derived from the hashish plant with a THC content material above 0.3% to be marijuana, making it unlawful below federal drug legislation.

Georgia has allowed sufferers with sure sicknesses and doctor approval to own and devour low-THC medical hashish merchandise since 2015. However till April, there was no authorized method for them to purchase the product in Georgia.

Nationwide, 24 states have legalized marijuana for leisure use, based on the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures. One other 23 enable some type of medical hashish.

The current DEA discover was revealed on-line by the group Good Approaches to Marijuana, which usually opposes marijuana legalization.

Ira Katz of Little 5 Factors Pharmacy in Atlanta informed WXIA-TV that he thought pharmacies like his ought to capable of dispense the merchandise in the identical method marijuana dispensaries do.

“It simply doesn’t make any sense to me that folks can go to a dispensary and to not a pharmacy,” he stated. “We might be shopping for it from the identical growers.”

Mahlon Davidson, interim CEO of the Georgia Pharmacy Affiliation, stated he doubted impartial pharmacists would danger imperiling their companies by flouting the DEA.

“The present battle between state and federal legislation places Georgia’s pharmacies in a tough place,” the Georgia Pharmacy Affiliation wrote in a letter to pharmacists, including that the affiliation is “placing forth the utmost effort to assist present well timed data and help in navigating this challenge.”

Those that oppose fast legalization of marijuana stated the DEA‘s stance will defend shoppers and permit time for extra analysis.

Michael Mumper, the manager director of the nonprofit Georgians for Accountable Marijuana Coverage, stated shoppers belief that medicine disbursed from pharmacies are totally examined, accredited by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration and federally authorized. Mumper stated that’s not the case with medical marijuana.