The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Sept. 27 that its previously recorded data regarding the number of medical cannabis patients is actually less than expected.

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The state found “anomalies” that inflated its patient and caregiver numbers, which originally was projected to be about 50,000 patients. This number was still taking into account patients whose cards have expired or those who have passed away since 2015, and now a more accurate 14,000 reflects the true patient count, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam further explained the cause of inflated numbers.

“DPH identified a number of anomalies within the registry data including patients with duplicate cards, patients who were counted as caregivers, expired cards that had not been renewed but remained in the system, and some patients who were deceased.”

The reason that this wasn’t discovered sooner is because this year, Georgia opened its first medical cannabis dispensaries. Two Trulieve dispensaries opened in late April, and there are now a total of six operating dispensaries.

Nydam added that DPH Commissioner Kathleen Toomey has since ordered an audit of the medical cannabis registry.

A brief review of the Low THC Oil Registry requires medical providers to remove patients once they stop receiving care, or pass away. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that reporting this ceased after 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is no automated system to keep track of the patient or caregiver count.

Georgia’s medical cannabis program started in 2015 with “Haleigh’s Hope Act.” It permitted the use of medical cannabis to treat conditions such as end-stage cancer, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, mitochondrial disease, Parkinson’s disease, and sickle cell disease. However, it didn’t implement any kind of protection for the patient, especially in expecting an employer to accommodate medical cannabis consumption.

Patients must receive approval from a physician in order to treat these medical conditions, and only have access to oil that contains no more than 5% THC. Cards only cost $25 for two years.

Botanical Sciences CEO Gary Long, head of one of the medical cannabis dispensaries in Georgia, explained his frustration for the inaccurate numbers. “It is disappointing to find out that the information the state has provided is inaccurate,” Long told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Our focus should be on how we move past this in a cohesive way that increases awareness of this industry in our state and the availability of these therapeutic products for patients in need.”

In July, the DPH reported 30,600 active patients, when there are actually only 13,000. For caregivers who may legally obtain cannabis for a patient, there were an estimated 21,000. Now, the number has decreased to only 1,200. Additionally, an estimated 3,400 patients have passed away out of the 17,600 patients whose cards expired or were canceled.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the DPH has made similar data collecting mistakes in regards to COVID-19 numbers. The news outlet pointed out how the list of children who died from COVID was incomplete and that drive-up testing sites weren’t recording accurate race data.

For cannabis though, the patient numbers have risen over the past few months now that medical cannabis dispensaries have begun operation. However, updated numbers won’t be provided by the DPH until the audit is complete.

Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission Andrew Turnage commented on the rising number of patients. “The demand is certainly there for patients in need,” said Andrew Turnage, executive director for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. “We know there are a significant number of patients in Georgia with the appropriate and applicable diagnosis, but the registry growth is happening slower than anticipated.”

In the future, the DPH has already begun to fix the issue of deceased patients being counted as cardholders. Now the DPH also plans to analyze its data twice a year to remove expired cards, and no longer need it to be done by medical providers.

In August, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that there’s a backlog of 558 medical cannabis applications waiting to be verified. One Georgia mother, Kim Srkiba, uses cannabis to treat her 24-year-old son’s seizures. She told the outlet that she applied for the card in April and didn’t get approval for more than four months. “I’ve been trying to skimp on it so that it would last. We’ve had a little bit of an increase in seizures, so that’s awful,” explained Skriba. “Life with a special needs child or adult is not easy. When the state makes things harder for you, it just adds difficulty and stress to the whole situation.”

At the time, DPH interim director of health protection Chris Rustin, expressed a need to expedite the process. “We had to make it much more convenient for the public to have access to pick up these cards,” Rustin said. “These improvements will certainly help us improve the process and issue these cards quicker for the public that needs it.”

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