Georgia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that all punishments for cannabis consumption, including fines, be immediately abolished.

The court’s ruling – which took place on July 30 - was effective immediately, meaning it is now the law.

The only exception to this, according to the Court, is if the cannabis consumption is perceived to cause direct harm to a third party. The Court stated that cannabis use could still be punished if “it is conducted in [educational] institutions, in some public places, for example in public transport, [or] in the presence of juveniles”.

Patients in Georgia are allowed to consume medical marijuana — if they can find a way to get it.

It’s still illegal to buy or transport cannabis oil in Georgia, even though the state authorized registered patients to use it three years ago.

That could soon change.

Georgia legislators are holding the first in a series of public meetings this month about how to improve access to cannabis oil. The meetings of the Low THC Medical Oil Access Commission could result in legislation to change Georgia’s medical marijuana law next year.

Georgia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that cannabis consumption is not a threat to public health and safety.

A Georgia boy suffering from severe epilepsy is back at home today, but he’s barred from using the smokeable cannabis that stopped his seizures for 71 days.

A fifteen-year-old taken into custody by Georgia’s Division of Family and Children’s Services after his parents gave him marijuana to stop his severe seizures has been reunited with his family after more than a month of separation.

On Monday, the Twiggs County Juvenile Court issued a protective order outlining the conditions under which Matthew and Suzeanna Brill could regain custody of their son, David Ray. The Brills still face criminal charges for providing their son with cannabis. But following the conditions of the protective order could lead to the case’s dismissal.

Marijuana legalization in Georgia is moving slowly. But it is moving.

Four months ago, HT writer Chris Roberts asked if Georgia would be the next state to legalize marijuana.

In neighboring states Matthew and Suzeanna Brill could have gotten a prescription to treat their son's chronic seizures. In Georgia they were arrested and lost custody of him.

It’s common today for people to discuss the divides in the country, typically along political lines. Red state, blue state, etc.

The parents are now facing reckless conduct charges.

Last month, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services took custody of Suzeanna and Matthew Brill's son after Twiggs County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested them for giving him marijuana.

It's a charge they don't deny.

"We openly admitted to them in front of Twiggs County sheriff's deputies," said Matthew Brill.

Their son, who we're not identifying because he is a minor and because of the sensitive nature of this case, was taken from the Brill's custody.

According to a Twiggs County Sheriff's Office report they're now charged with reckless conduct.

However, they say they're not bad parents -- they were doing what they had to to stop their son's frequent seizures.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed a bill Monday legalizing the use of medical marijuana for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intractable pain.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday that the bill adds PTSD and intractable pain to the existing list of conditions eligible for cannabis oil treatment.

Georgia first passed a medical marijuana bill in 2015 and will now cover more than a dozen conditions.

As the legal marijuana business continues to boom in Colorado, some authorities warn of the increasing rate of individuals illegally selling marijuana in and out of the state.

In 2016, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Colorado drug task forces completed 163 investigations of individuals or organizations involved in illegally selling Colorado marijuana.

According to the officials, these cases led to:

The availability of medical marijuana has significantly reduced opioid prescribing for Medicaid and Medicare patients, according to two large studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In one study, researchers at the University of Georgia looked at Medicare Part D prescription drug data from 2010 to 2015. They found that the number of daily doses prescribed for morphine (-14%), hydrocodone (-10.5%) and fentanyl (-8.5%) declined in states with medical marijuana laws. However, daily doses for oxycodone increased (+4.4%) in those same states.