Expert medical marijuana consulting firms can talk ad nauseam about the benefits and advantages cannabis business development and medical marijuana cultivating can have on patients and an entire economy. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough medical marijuana consulting experts on the Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis panel appointed by Governor Nathan Deal as the vote to allow the growth of such products failed on Wednesday (12/9), according to the Chattanooga-area ABC affiliate NewsChannel9.com.

Earlier this year medical marijuana consulting agencies won a significant victory in the state when a law was passed that allows people with certain conditions to legally possess and use cannabis oil. A doctors approval is required to obtain this status.

The result of this particular decision shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise though as the Georgia governor has said in the past he won’t support in-state cannabis cultivation business plans because he doesn’t think the state and local law enforcement would be able to appropriately regulate and manage the growth, distribution, and sale of such products.

While the commission’s report is not binding it will probably be some time before any more progress is made in the state.

Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia currently allow medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Despite being stigmatized for hundreds of years, support for the leafy green plant has exploded in recent years with the advent of millennials turning voting age and the older, more conservative generation on the way out.

In fact, today more than half (52%) of Americans think cannabis should be legal and about seven-in-ten (69%) believe alcohol is more harmful to a person?s health than marijuana. In terms of actual medicinal benefits 76% of doctors now approve of medical marijuana use and a staggering 92% of patients say that it works.

In addition to the medical aspects, the boost it can have on an economy is an attractive element. In Colorado, sales of retail marijuana have reaped about $18.9 million in state taxes (with a percentage to go to local governments) from January through June 30, according to the state Department of Revenue.