Trulieve executive explains Georgia’s expanded medical marijuana program

By Larry Felton Johnson

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Tuesday marked the expansion of Georgia’s medical cannabis program with a ceremonial first sale at its Marietta dispensary, becoming one of the first companies to offer newly authorized flower and vaporized cannabis products under the state’s updated law.

(See the last section in this article for a report on the first sale at Trulieve’s dispensary)

The Courier spoke with Lauren Niehaus, Truelieve’s executive director of government relations, about the significance of the new law.

Courier: Tell us a little about you company, and your role there.

Niehaus: I oversee all of our lobbying work at the state capital.

Trulieve is a Florida-based company who was the first operator to open up our dispensaries in Georgia in 2023. So we’ve been excitingly operating in the state for a few years now and we have seven dispensaries in the state of Georgia right now with our eighth coming online soon.

And it’s a real honor to be able to serve patients in Georgia.

The basis of our company, Trulieve, is medical marijuana, and we are honored to have the opportunity to work with patients in Georgia and provide them with this medicine if they decide to choose it as a part of their health journey.

Courier:  Could you talk just a little bit about what the shortcomings of the previous law that you were operating under were?

Niehaus: Absolutely. Under the previous law, we were limited to one of the big key hallmarks. It was called the low THC oil program.

And that restricted THC percentages, but it also restricted the types of products that our patients could have access to. 

So products under that program were capsules, tinctures, things of that nature. And those don’t necessarily provide relief for everybody who’s choosing medical marijuana. So there were some limitations under that. And also the potency limits didn’t necessarily address the needs of certain patients who were looking for a higher potency than 5%, say a 10% or 15% in order to address their needs. 

So under what you were referring to, Senate Bill 220 that was passed this year, and let me preface that this has been many years in the making.

We’ve been working with the legislature for many years, as you’re aware, to get us to this point of what we would consider a true medical program, a true medical marijuana program where patients have choice and they have access for a product type and a THC percentage that best fits their health needs. 

Under Senate Bill 220, we were able to change the dosing guidelines. 

So instead of relying on 5% THC, we’re now basing in milligrams, which is much more consistent for patients to understand because traditional medications are based on milligrams. And then we were able to add additional product types to our line, specifically the addition of vaporization. And vaporization is an important administrative method of administration because it allows for faster relief.

If you think of somebody who’s going through chemotherapy that’s a part of their cancer treatment, that vaporization is going to have an onset between five and 15 minutes versus say a capsule that you have to ingest, goes through your digestive track. It might take 45 minutes to an hour to find that relief. So the addition of vaporization and vaporizable flower allows for patients to have that more quick onset to address their symptoms.

Courier: Could you talk a little bit about what the range of conditions are that medical cannabis is appropriate for and effective in treating?

Niehaus: Absolutely. So we previously had a pretty exhaustive list of qualifying conditions we call them, and those are of course addressed in consultation with a physician. There are two important hallmarks of this piece of legislation. Previous iterations of this law reserved medical marijuana for those with end stage conditions only.

Removing that end stage language from many of these conditions allows people to choose cannabis at any part of their journey, not just when they’re in the final portions of their life. So that was really important, especially for our cancer, Parkinson’s, other patients who could use this even though they’re not in end stage. Many people beat cancer, many people live with conditions for their entire life

So there are many conditions like that that now, we can access it at any point of that journey. Additionally, we added conditions to this list of qualifying conditions, inflammatory bowel syndrome, HIV and lupus. Previously we had Parkinson’s arthritis, as I mentioned. We had different cancer stages there as well.

So now as we’ve just expanded it, it’s true. It’s still true medical use for those who decide to consume, but there are more people who may qualify now under this law, I’d say primarily because of that end stage language being removed.

Courier: Let’s say a patient thinks they could benefit from it. What steps would they go through in order to be able to purchase from your company?

Niehaus: So first, meeting with the physician. You’ve got your traditional physician, there are other physicians who specialize in medical marijuana treatment. Meet with the physician, see if you qualify. 

If you have one of the qualifying conditions that would make you eligible for a card. And if you and the physician deem that as appropriate for you, it’s a very basic application process through the Department of Public Health in Georgia. 

They process your application, they create your medical identification card, they ship that out to you, and then you’re able to come in to one of their regulated medical dispensaries to purchase the product that suits your needs.

Courier: Is there anything that I have not asked you about that you think my readers should know about medical marijuana or your company?

Niehaus: Yes, I think that it’s important for folks to understand that this is a pivotal point in Georgia where people can have access to this type of medicine.

And it’s very important that they’re looking towards these regulated state licensed dispensaries in order to obtain their medical marijuana. And as the patient count in Georgia grows, the way the statute is written is we as operators are able to add more dispensaries with every 10,000 new patients that come into the program. So right now we’ve got seven dispensaries, which is somewhat limiting for some folks to find one of those dispensaries. As the patient count continues to grow, so too will our Trulieve footprint across the state. So we’ll be able to have more access points for patients to be able to shop at.

Courier: There is one other question I thought of and that is, do you see any places that changes need to be made in the more recent law? Any weaknesses that still could benefit from strengthening the law?

Niehaus: Yes. I can tell you one that we will probably be actively working on soon and that applies to our grow cultivation facilities. So right now there’s a canopy cap as we call it. You can have 100,000 square feet to grow product. Remember, everything that we sell and dispense in Georgia is grown in Georgia due to federal law limitations. So one thing that we’ll be looking at in the statute is expanding that cultivation capacity.

Of the demand that we’ve already seen from patients wanting to access products with these new qualifying conditions and with these new methods of administration. We already are seeing the need for more production in the state so that we can meet patients’ demands.

The last thing that we want is to have a patient to come to rely on this as medicine and then not be able to receive it because we can’t literally grow our plants fast enough. So I see that as one area where we will be going back to the legislature next year to talk about that need.

Other than that, I think we see how this program is successful and really this is a lot of patient feedback. What do patients need? What do Georgians need? And then it’s our job to take those needs and bring them to the legislature in 27 and beyond.

Courier: Is the company vertically integrated? Do y’all do everything from the growth to the processing to the retailing?

Niehaus: We sure do. Our growing, cultivation, and processing is in Adel, Georgia, and then it’s distributed from there to our dispensaries throughout the state.

About Senate Bill 220 (the updated medical cannabis law)

Senate Bill 220, known as the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act,” was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 12, 2026, expanding Georgia’s medical cannabis program.

The legislation authorizes the sale of medical cannabis flower and vaporization products to registered patients age 21 and older, broadens the list of qualifying medical conditions to include lupus, HIV and inflammatory bowel disease, and removes previous “end-stage” disease requirements for patients with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

The law also allows qualified independent pharmacies with state licensure and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration to dispense medical cannabis products, expanding patient access across Georgia.

Truelieve’s first sale at its dispensary after the passage of the updated law

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. announced the ceremonial first sale of newly authorized medical cannabis products in Georgia, marking the rollout of the state’s expanded medical cannabis program under Senate Bill 220. The event took place at the company’s Marietta dispensary, where patients can now purchase medical cannabis flower and vaporization products for the first time under the updated law.

The first purchase was made by retired Army veteran Desi Cleveland of Columbus. His order included the Roll One Clutch All in One vape and Modern Flower whole flower — both newly available in Georgia — along with Trulieve RSO Troches and Momenta Topical Cream.

“I served my country and came home with injuries that affect me every single day. For years, the options I had weren’t enough — or came with costs I wasn’t willing to pay,” said Desi Cleveland, Army veteran from Columbus. “Having access to a vaporized product that provides fast-acting relief when I need it most – alongside the other administration methods I already trust – is something I’ve been waiting for. Today marks a big step forward for veterans in Georgia.”

Georgia’s expanded medical cannabis program follows the enactment of Senate Bill 220, also known as the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act,” which was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 12, 2026. The legislation authorizes medical cannabis flower and vaporization products for qualified patients age 21 and older, adds lupus, HIV and inflammatory bowel disease to the list of qualifying conditions, and removes the previous “end-stage” requirement for patients with conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

“We are thrilled to provide Georgia patients with a wider variety of products at our dispensaries and independent pharmacies,” said Trulieve Chief Executive Officer Kim Rivers. “We applaud Governor Kemp and the state legislature for recognizing the patient need and addressing it with SB 220.”

The company said the program expansion also follows the federal government’s rescheduling of medical marijuana to Schedule III in April. As a result, independent pharmacies in Georgia that hold both state licensure and DEA registration are now permitted to dispense medical cannabis products to qualified patients. Trulieve said it has begun supplying products to more than a dozen pharmacies across the state and expects to expand pharmacy distribution later this summer.

“We are proud to partner with Trulieve to offer their trusted products to our patients,” said Parth Patel, PharmD, owner of Bonaire Pharmacy. “Pharmacists are trusted healthcare providers, and being able to provide medical cannabis alongside our patients’ other medications is a natural extension of the care we already deliver, in their convenient, neighborhood pharmacy setting.”

Trulieve said all six of its Georgia dispensaries are hosting launch-day events featuring patient consultations, educational resources, product promotions and information about enrolling in the state’s medical cannabis program. The company also said its products are now available through a growing network of participating independent pharmacies statewide.