Court of appeals set to review Georgia’s medical marijuana bid process

ATLANTA – In Adel Georgia, on the Trulieve medical marijuana plant it appeared like – after two years – there was lastly progress within the marijuana drugs entrance in Georgia.

Two hours to the east, in Glenville, state Rep. Invoice Werkheiser factors to a different medical hashish facility below development. Werkheiser was a kind of smiling faces throughout Botanical Sciences’ ribbon reducing. 

“I can let you know Botanical Sciences may drop seed tomorrow actually and have oil in 110 days,” stated Werkheiser.

After two years of bids, awards, protests, and legal guidelines fits the state medical marijuana fee lastly issued licenses to Trulieve and Botanical Sciences to develop medical hashish in Georgia.  

Nonetheless, whereas some have been reducing ribbons, the authorized wrangling was heating up. The Georgia Courtroom of Appeals just lately gave the go-ahead to shedding medical marijuana bidders to problem who was chosen to develop medical marijuana and the way they have been picked.

Attorneys Jake Evans, in Atlanta, and Kristen Goodman, in Savannah, characterize a complete of 5 medical marijuana corporations difficult the license course of. Kristen Goodman represents a few of these corporations. 

“The members of the Medical Hashish Fee knew who the homeowners have been of those corporations, who the businesses have been affiliated with, and so they scored in an arbitrary and admittedly typically nonsensical manner,” stated Goodman.

“Georgians should know there was no corruption, that none of those licenses was purchased,” added Evans.  

Their purchasers and others misplaced authorized battles to overturn the bid choice. However each attorneys satisfied the court docket of appeals that the authorized course of for shedding bidders was fatally flawed, and so they have been denied a proper to a good attraction.

“It means we’re going to have our day in court docket, it means we’re going hopefully get a good shake,” stated Evans.

“Our level is to carry accountable the legislators and the evaluators that allowed this to occur,” Goodman stated.

For 2 years, the FOX 5 I-Group has investigated the awarding of medical marijuana licenses in Georgia. Experiences uncovered controversial company backgrounds involving 4 of the profitable bidders.

Trulieve CEO Kim River’s husband JT Burnette is at present in federal jail on public corruption expenses. Trulieve stated Burnette had nothing to do with their firm. 

Atlanta entrepreneur Paul Decide’s firm is TheraTrue. Weeks after he was chosen for one of many profitable licenses, Decide contributed $50,000 to Gov. Brian Kemp’s management committee. 

The FOX 5 I-Group additionally reported how hundreds of pages of profitable bids, by regulation, have been redacted and stored secret from shedding bidders, the general public, and the media. 

The scoring of these profitable bids – by politically appointed commissioners – was additionally stored secret. 

Saved secret from the general public, the media, and even legislators.

“Do we have to step in and alter this meltdown to getting this factor carried out,” state Rep. Alan Powell as soon as requested.

Makes an attempt by Rep. Powell and different legislators to repair what many noticed as a variety course of that favored the politically linked failed. 

So, whereas two corporations forge forward, the Georgia Courtroom of Appeals will now weigh in on whether or not the authorized process for 4 different profitable licenses was carried out proper. 

“With this sort of medical hashish, we’ve bought to make it possible for there’s an integrity within the product, getting the product to the general public,” Evans stated.

The court docket of appeals may take months earlier than a ruling is issued, which suggests why corporations await a closing final result, two corporations can be effectively below manner of their course of to supply medical marijuana for some estimated 25,000 Georgia sufferers.