ATLANTA – An expansion of the state’s medical cannabis program that took effect this month allows patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and severe pain to sign up.

Already, 93 patients with intractable pain and 42 people with PTSD had enrolled in the state’s low THC oil program as of Wednesday, according to the state Department of Public Health, which oversees the three-year-old program.

The program’s total enrollment has grown to nearly 5,200 active patients, with 256 new patients this month. But there is still no legal way for participants to acquire the oil, since it’s against federal law to transport the product across state lines.

“We have a lot of people who say, ‘Why am I going to spend the money to go to the doctor and spend money for the card when there’s no possible way for me to get it anywhere?’” said Sebastien Cotte, who co-founded Georgia’s Hope and who credits the oil with helping to keep his 7-year-old son alive. 

Cotte said the group hopes the enrollment number will continue to grow before next legislative session, highlighting the need for in-state cultivation.

That’s one reason why Cotte said the group encourages people to go through the trouble of enrolling. Having the card also protects patients if they are able to find a way to obtain the oil and are pulled over, he said.

Right now, about one-fourth of participants use the oil for seizures. The next two largest groups are cancer patients and those suffering from peripheral neuropathy. About 44 percent of the patients are older than 50 years old; 15 percent of them are younger than 17.

The measure that passed this session also created a joint study commission, which will examine the access issue, that includes two parents of children who rely on the oil. That panel is expected to start meeting next month.

The issue has become a surprising factor in the Republican gubernatorial runoff. Both candidates, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp, say they would support expansion of the program but have stopped short of fully embracing the idea of in-state cultivation as the answer.

“Access could mean many things,” Cagle said during a recent debate on Channel 2 Action News of Atlanta. “Cultivation could be one of those but there are other methods and access points as well.

“If the only option that we have under a very tight regulatory environment is to harvest it here, then I will pursue that,” Cagle said.

Kemp said he supports “research-based expansion.”

“If there’s research there that shows that expansion, that could even lead to cultivation, I would definitely be open and supportive of doing that,” Kemp said.

The Democrat in the race, Stacey Abrams, has said she supports growing medical marijuana in Georgia.

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for The Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s newspapers and websites.