HAPEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia is the first state in the nation to allow independent pharmacies to sell medical cannabis oil.

The application process opened this week.

Derek Chapman is the current steward of Hapeville’s only pharmacy, which has been around for 102 years. And while the store is all about history, Chapman is looking to the future.

He applied to be one of the stores licensed to sell medical cannabis oil to those people with a prescription and a registry card.

“I think it’ll be a good thing for patients. Like for instance, I have a daughter who has seizures, so it could be beneficial to her, and other patients like her. We’re going through the process now to get all that approved,” Chapman said.

Up until now, patients could only get the low-THC oil from dispensaries owned by one of the two companies currently licensed to produce it in Georgia.

But now, through the Board of Pharmacy, as many as 1,000 independent pharmacies could sell it.

The chair of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Oil Commission, Andrew Turnage, said on Friday that the plan gives tens of thousands of people more access to the medicine they need.

“It’s just a 15-to-20-minute drive from where patients are located across the state. That’s going to be so much easier for them to get access,” Turnage said.

Chapman thinks this will be good for patients and good for his business.

“Just having another choice will be great and for us, honestly. It’ll probably be good business for us as well,” Chapman said.

There is no word yet on when the first round of applications will be approved.

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