The federal government is cautioning Georgia against moving forward with its proposal to become the initial state to permit pharmacies to distribute medical cannabis products.

According to recent reports, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning to pharmacies on November 27th stating that distributing medical marijuana is a violation of federal law.

The Georgia Board of Pharmacy started receiving submissions for dispensing the goods in October. The board has already granted licenses to 23 independent pharmacies in Georgia, according to their statement.

The overseeing body for Georgia’s emerging medical cannabis sector, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, stated that it is unable to override the federal directive. This is despite the fact that pharmacies are permitted to distribute medical marijuana products according to state laws.

According to Andrew Turnage, the executive director of the commission, the state hopes that pharmacists will be permitted to continue offering consultations for medical cannabis products, similar to how they do for other medications.

The DEA sent a message to pharmacies stating that it is illegal for them to have, manage, or distribute marijuana or related substances with a tetrahydrocannabinol concentration higher than 0.3%, which is the psychoactive compound responsible for producing a high in users.

Patients with medical conditions in Georgia are allowed to purchase medical marijuana products that contain a maximum of 5% THC. Recreational marijuana, on the other hand, usually has a higher concentration of THC.

The DEA classifies any products made from the cannabis plant that contain more than 0.3% THC as marijuana, which is prohibited under federal drug laws.

Since 2015, Georgia has permitted patients with specific ailments and doctor authorization to have and use medical marijuana products with low levels of THC. However, until April, there was no lawful method for obtaining the product in the state.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 24 states in the nation have passed laws legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, while an additional 23 states permit the use of medical cannabis in some capacity.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a group known for their opposition to marijuana legalization, recently published the DEA notice on their website.

Ira Katz, owner of Little Five Points Pharmacy in Atlanta, expressed to WXIA-TV his belief that pharmacies, like his, should have the ability to distribute products similar to how marijuana dispensaries do.

“It just doesn’t make any sense to me that people can go to a dispensary and not to a pharmacy,” he said. “We would be buying it from the same growers.”

The interim CEO of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, Mahlon Davidson, expressed skepticism that independent pharmacists would take the risk of jeopardizing their businesses by disregarding the regulations set by the DEA.

The Georgia Pharmacy Association sent a letter to pharmacists stating that the current disagreement between state and federal laws is causing challenges for pharmacies in Georgia. They also mentioned that the association is working hard to offer prompt updates and support in dealing with this matter.

Critics of the fast legalization of marijuana argue that the DEA’s position will safeguard consumers and provide the opportunity for further investigation.

According to Michael Mumper, the head of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy, consumers have confidence that medications obtained from pharmacies have undergone thorough testing, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and are federally permissible. However, Mumper states that this is not the situation with medical marijuana.

However, the federal position may be altered if a current suggestion to relax limitations on marijuana is implemented. In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put forth a proposal to remove marijuana from the prohibited Schedule I substances list and reclassify it as a less risky Schedule III drug.