Georgia opted to legalize medical marijuana in a different way from other States, offering a low-THC cannabis oil, or CBD oil, as an alternative to traditional cannabis products like cannabis flower or edibles.
Since Georgia legalized a type of cannabis product before creating it, there’s no example of what the cannabis oil from Georgia will look like other than the restriction that the product contains less than 5% THC.
This effectively puts Georgia’s non-existent product into a category much more similar to CBD oil, which is legally permitted to contain up to 0.3% THC per the 2018 Farm Bill.
Cannabis flower, on the other hand, can range in THC percentage, and almost always contains more than 5% THC.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the differences between cannabis oil and flower, and how Georgia’s low-THC CBD oil will compare to currently available medical marijuana products.
Cannabis Extracts, But Without THC?
Low-THC Cannabis Oil AKA CBD Oil
The language of Georgia’s limited medical marijuana program offers little for cultivators to work with in trying to create the fantasy cannabis product.
The program has changed over the years, too, though there’s still no information about how the program will operate or any products that may be offered.
The medical marijuana program offers “cannabis oil with less than 5% THC” to patients with one of a handful of chronic or terminal conditions approved for medical marijuana in Georgia.
The oil, however, is a highly debatable product that is defined much more closely to CBD oil rather than a true medical marijuana product, which are often differentiated by their THC content.
Georgia’s concept of an ideal cannabis oil is an extract of cannabinoids that contains very little THC, and depending on how the products turn out, possibly an imperceptible amount of THC.
Cannabis flower, when grown under these strict THC imitations, is typically not referred to as cannabis at all. Cannabis plants with limited or no THC are categorized as hemp or cannabis ruderalis, which typically aren’t heavily involved with medical marijuana programs.
Is Cannabis Oil an Effective Medicine?
The term “cannabis oil” can refer to many things.
There are many different ways to produce them and there is no standardized “cannabis oil” product to reference for Georgia’s medical marijuana program.
A cannabis oil could just as much be CBD oil from the gas station as it is a highly potent extract from a dispensary in California, and there’s not been any cultivation or processing approved in Georgia to speculate exactly what their final product will look like, or if there will be a variety of products offered to medical marijuana patients.
Many cannabis oils are considered highly effective for treating a variety of symptoms and conditions, though in most cases these products are not limited to less than 5% THC unless it is a CBD oil.
Hemp-derived CBD oil, which can be legally purchased in the United States, is essentially no different than cannabis-derived CBD oil, and when you remove or reduce the THC content, there is no difference between the products whatsoever.
CBD oil has been used to effectively soothe many symptoms and conditions, though it’s markedly less effective for many conditions without its partner, THC.
How Cannabis Flower & Cannabis Oil Differ
Cannabis Oil Is Made From Cannabis Flower
Cannabis oil and cannabis flower are technically the same thing because the oil is produced naturally on the cannabis plant’s flowers to begin with.
When cannabis plants produce flowering buds, these buds contain thousands of tiny resinous glands called trichomes, which, when removed and collected, can be pooled into an oily substance.
This oily substance is cannabis oil, and in its simplest state, it’s just a collection of trichomes from the plant. The trichomes contain high amounts of cannabinoids like CBD, THC, terpenes, and other compounds, and is where all the important medicinal compounds from cannabis can be found in high concentrations.
Once the trichomes are removed, they can be processed in many ways to create a final product, such as topicals, tinctures, or other types of cannabis extracts.
Since cannabis oil is just parts of cannabis flower that have been removed and processed, the main distinction is their concentration, or the potency of the compounds.
The Real Difference Between Georgia’s Cannabis Oil & Cannabis Flower
Georgia’s idea is essentially to concentrate the cannabinoids from the cannabis plant and remove the majority of THC before it’s sold to consumers.
This is where cannabis oil and cannabis flower can be extremely different, because although you’ll be able to get many of the cannabinoids from the cannabis plant with Georgia’s low-THC cannabis oil, the THC content likely won’t be large enough to cause many (if any) psychoactive effects.
This creates a unique product that is essentially identical to hemp-derived CBD oil, with a difference of about 4.7% THC since hemp plants can contain up to 0.3% THC legally.
It’s unclear how cultivators will process the oil in Georgia, and while cannabis flower typically entertains different strains with unique amounts of cannabinoids, we’re not sure how the semi-CBD-oil will work out in Georgia compared to legal alternatives.
CBD oil has still proven to be useful for patients with a variety of conditions or symptoms such as seizures, inflammation, nausea, or pain.
The biggest difference is THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol.
THC is medicinally useful for a variety of cases and has many useful properties to help patients by producing anti-inflammatory effects, pain relief, improved nausea, appetite stimulation, and much more.
Georgians won’t be enjoying the benefits of THC just yet, but you willl be able to access many of the benefits associated with cannabinoids from the cannabis plant.
Get Your Georgia Marijuana Card
The Georgia medical marijuana program is currently stalled, and until legislators install cultivators who are approved to produce cannabis products, there aren’t any cannabis products available for medical marijuana patients.
One Georgia’s program comes online, we’ll begin processing applications for the low-THC registry, and you’ll be able to get your medical marijuana card in Georgia!
You can pre-register for your appointment today by reserving your spot online!
We will be processing medical marijuana certifications as soon as the system is live for Georgia patients.
Reserve your appointment today and get $25 off when we start processing applications!
Feel free to give us a call at (866) 781-5606, and we can help answer your questions about getting medical marijuana in Georgia