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Georgia has become the first state in the nation to license pharmacies to sell low-THC cannabis oil to eligible patents.

The state Department of Community Health announced on its website Thursday that the Georgia Board of Pharmacy has approved the sale of cannabis oil at independent pharmacies in Warner Robins, Tifton, and Omega, a small city that straddles Tift and Colquitt counties.

Two manufacturing companies licensed by the state to produce and sell low-THC cannabis oil opened dispensaries last spring to sell their products to Georgians suffering from a range of diseases and enrolled in a state-run patient registry.

The 2019 state law that created Georgia’s medical marijuana program also allowed cannabis oil to be sold at independent pharmacies.

“We applaud the Georgia Board of Pharmacy for implementing this provision of the Hope Act, which will dramatically expand access for patients and serve as a national model,” Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, said Thursday.

“Georgia has almost 1,000 ‘independent pharmacies’ that are eligible to apply for a license.  We are excited for this opportunity for patients to gain access minutes away from their home while also supporting hundreds of small businesses owners across the state.”

Trulieve Georgia and Botanical Sciences LLC have been opening dispensaries across the state for the last six months. The latest, a Botanical Sciences facility, is due to open Tuesday in Stockbridge.

The list of diseases that qualify patients to receive low-THC cannabis oil includes end stage cancer, seizure disorders, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease.