DEA stops sale of medical cannabis oil at Georgia pharmacies
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - For more than 40 years, pharmacist Ira Katz has been treating customers at Little Five Points Pharmacy in Atlanta.
He recently applied to have his store licensed to sell medical cannabis oil to those with a prescription and registry card, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement istration sent a letter to Katz and other pharmacists saying it’s against federal law.
“I’m very, very disappointed with it,” Katz said.
Georgia’s state legislature ed a law allowing independent pharmacies to sell low levels of THC.
“We always felt, we as pharmacists, that this is a drug and it should be kept in pharmacy. It should be regulated by pharmacy, so we are very disappointed that the DEA is choosing to keep it out of pharmacy, where it really belongs,” Katz said.
Up until now, patients have only been able to get the low THC oil from dispensaries around the state.
“They’re not licensed with the DEA, the dispensaries. We are,” Katz said.
Katz said it’s a setback for families in need of cannabis oil for urgent medical reasons.
Todd Heydel agrees. He works for a nonprofit called Peachtree Norml, which s the use of THC for medical purposes.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s very frustrating. We have children that are sick that need medicine and need safe, legal access, and in Georgia it seems like every time we take a step forward, there’s pushback,” Heydel said.
“Patients are going to come into a pharmacy because they trust us. They understand we are the drug experts. What better place to get your medical cannabis than from a drug expert in a pharmacy?” Katz said.
Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved.
