TRUL:CC - Report: Georgia Court of Appeals to Rule on Medical Marijuana Licensing Case

The Georgia Court of Appeals will weigh in on a lawsuit that alleges the state’s medical marijuana licensing process – which granted permits to two companies, Florida-based Trulieve and Georgia-based Botanical Sciences to manufacture and sell cannabis oils – was corrupt.

Though the plaintiffs in the suit already failed in a separate bid to overturn the permitting decisions by the state Medical Cannabis Commission, the court could still take action to halt production and sales if the suit is successful, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

“The members of the Medical Cannabis Commission knew who the owners were of these companies, who the companies were affiliated with, and they scored in an arbitrary and frankly sometimes nonsensical way,” said attorney Kristen Goodman, who represents several of the five companies that joined forces in the lawsuit.

Georgia’s limited medical cannabis market – which is capped at six companies and only allows non-smokable forms of marijuana – has been slow to launch, now two years in the making. The two licensed companies were only granted permits in September this year.

The lawsuit could delay the launch yet again, or even derail it after sales formally begin, Fox 5 Atlanta reported, particularly since only two of the six are yet ready to begin operations.

But it could be months until the court of appeals issues a ruling, Fox 5 Atlanta reported, meaning the industry could be well under way by the time the court makes a decision.