Georgia’s medical marijuana law lets registered patients with one of 18 qualifying medical conditions possess and use low-THC cannabis oil containing no more than 5% THC by weight. The program is narrower than most state medical cannabis systems. Smokable flower, edibles, and vaporized concentrates all remain illegal in Georgia, even for cardholders. Legal access runs through a physician certification, a registry card from the Georgia Department of Public Health, and purchases at state-licensed dispensaries or specialty pharmacies.
What Georgia Actually Allows
The only legal product is low-THC oil. Under state law, the oil must contain no more than 5% THC by weight and must contain cannabidiol (CBD) in an amount equal to or greater than the THC content.1Justia. Georgia Code Title 16 Chapter 12 Article 8 Section 16-12-191 It has to be kept in a pharmaceutical container labeled by the manufacturer with the THC percentage.
Marijuana flower, edibles that aren’t in oil form, and vaporized concentrates are not part of the program. A registered patient caught with flower faces the same criminal penalties as anyone else.
Qualifying Medical Conditions
Eighteen conditions make a patient eligible for the Low THC Oil Registry:2GA Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. FAQs
- End-stage cancer, or cancer where treatment causes wasting illness or severe nausea and vomiting
- Seizure disorders related to epilepsy or trauma-related head injuries
- Severe or end-stage multiple sclerosis
- Crohn’s disease
- Severe or end-stage Parkinson’s disease
- Severe or end-stage sickle cell disease
- Mitochondrial disease
- Severe or end-stage ALS
- Severe Tourette’s syndrome
- Autism spectrum disorder (severe for patients under 18; any severity for patients 18 and older)
- Epidermolysis bullosa
- Severe or end-stage Alzheimer’s disease
- Severe or end-stage AIDS
- Severe or end-stage peripheral neuropathy
- Intractable pain
- PTSD from direct exposure to or witnessing trauma (patients 18 and older)
- Hospice care, inpatient or outpatient
PTSD and intractable pain were added in 2018 through House Bill 65, which took effect July 1 of that year. The intractable pain category is worth flagging because patients often assume Georgia excludes pain conditions entirely. It doesn’t, though the certifying physician still decides whether a specific diagnosis fits.
Getting a Physician Certification
Certification by a Georgia-licensed physician registered with the Low THC Oil Registry is the only legal path in. There is no self-referral.3Georgia Department of Public Health. Low THC Oil Registry
The physician must have a standing doctor-patient relationship with the patient. By signing the certification form approved by the Georgia Composite Medical Board, the physician affirms that they have assessed the patient’s medical history and current condition, reviewed appropriate diagnostic tests, confirmed a qualifying diagnosis, and determined the patient is eligible under Georgia law.4Georgia Department of Public Health. Low THC Oil Information for Physicians The certification is not a prescription, and the form itself makes that distinction explicit.
Physicians can decline to certify any patient. Georgia Code 16-12-231 protects those who do certify: they cannot be arrested, prosecuted, or disciplined by professional licensing boards for participating in the registry.4Georgia Department of Public Health. Low THC Oil Information for Physicians
Registering and Getting a Card
The physician submits the application through the state’s electronic registry. Patients don’t apply on their own. Before submission, the patient signs a notarized Low THC Oil Waiver and provides a government-issued photo ID to the physician’s office.5Georgia Department of Public Health. Low THC Oil Information for Patients and Caregivers
If the Department of Public Health approves the application, the patient goes on the Low THC Oil Registry and receives a card. The card fee is $30, and health insurance doesn’t cover it. Cards are shipped by UPS and require a signature at delivery. Patients without a permanent address, or who use a P.O. Box, can have the card sent to the nearest county health department.
A Georgia Low THC Oil card is valid for five years from the date payment is processed, and the expiration date is printed on the front. Renewal requires a reevaluation by a certifying physician and a fresh $30 fee. Start the renewal well before the card expires to avoid a gap in legal coverage.
Caregivers
A caregiver can hold their own Low THC Oil card and possess the oil on a certified patient’s behalf. Under state rules, a caregiver is the patient’s parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian, or another individual named as the caregiver on the physician’s certification form.6Georgia Secretary of State. Subject 511-5-11 Low THC Oil Patient Registry The caregiver’s information goes in with the patient’s application, and the caregiver gets a separate card. If a caregiver is no longer caring for the patient, the physician cancels that card in the registry.
Where to Buy It
The Georgia Hope Act (HB 324) created the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission and authorized in-state production and retail dispensing. Licensed dispensaries now operate across the state, run by companies including Trulieve, Botanical Sciences, Fine Fettle, Treevana Remedy, and TheraTrue.7GA Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. Verify A License The GMCC keeps a dispensary map on its website that reflects current locations.8GA Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. Dispensaries Independent pharmacies holding a specialty dispensing license from the Georgia Board of Pharmacy may also dispense low-THC oil.
A valid Low THC Oil card is required at purchase. Only registered patients and their registered caregivers can legally buy or possess the product.
Possession Limit
Registered patients and caregivers may possess up to 20 fluid ounces of low-THC oil at a time.1Justia. Georgia Code Title 16 Chapter 12 Article 8 Section 16-12-191 Distribution or sale to another person is illegal, even between two registered patients. There is no peer-to-peer sharing allowance.
Visitors From Other States
Georgia offers narrow reciprocity. A person holding a valid registration card from another state that authorizes the same type of low-THC oil possession can legally possess it in Georgia for up to 45 days. After 45 days of presence in the state, the out-of-state card no longer serves as lawful authority.1Justia. Georgia Code Title 16 Chapter 12 Article 8 Section 16-12-191 A broader medical marijuana card from another state does not extend Georgia’s product limits: only the low-THC oil that fits Georgia’s definition is covered.
Penalties for Going Outside the Rules
Penalties under O.C.G.A. 16-12-191 rise steeply with quantity.9Justia. Georgia Code 16-12-191
- Possession of 20 fluid ounces or less without a valid card is a misdemeanor.
- More than 20 but less than 160 fluid ounces, or any manufacturing, distribution, or sale, is a felony punishable by one to ten years in prison, a fine up to $50,000, or both.1Justia. Georgia Code Title 16 Chapter 12 Article 8 Section 16-12-191
- Possession of 160 fluid ounces or more is trafficking, a felony with escalating prison terms and fines based on the quantity involved.
Falsifying a physician certification or a registry card is fraud and carries its own penalties on top of any possession charges.
Federal Law Still Applies
Georgia’s program is legal under state law, but marijuana in every form remains a Schedule I controlled substance federally. That gap creates several consequences patients often don’t see coming.
Firearms
Federal law bars any “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” from possessing a firearm or ammunition.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 A Georgia medical cannabis patient qualifies as a prohibited person under this statute. ATF Form 4473, which every buyer completes at a licensed firearms dealer, asks directly whether the buyer is an unlawful user of marijuana and warns that state legalization doesn’t change the federal prohibition.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Firearms Transaction Record (ATF Form 4473) Answering falsely is a separate federal offense.
Federal Land
Possession or use of any cannabis product is illegal on all federal land, including national parks, national forests, military bases, and federal courthouses. A state registry card is not a defense. A first offense for possession on federal land can result in up to one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 21 USC 844 Georgia has significant national forest acreage and military installations where this comes up in daily life.
Federally Assisted Housing
HUD prohibits admitting marijuana users, including medical cannabis patients, to federally assisted housing. Public housing agencies are required to include lease provisions barring admission based on use of any controlled substance still illegal under federal law, and HUD has stated it lacks discretion to make exceptions absent a change in federal statute.13HUD Exchange. Can a Public Housing Agency (PHA) Make a Reasonable Accommodation for Medical Marijuana Existing tenants can face termination proceedings if a housing authority determines they are using a controlled substance.
Crossing State Lines
Transporting cannabis across state lines is a federal crime, even between two states with legal programs. That covers driving into a neighboring state, mailing product, or flying with it. Federal trafficking charges can apply, carrying up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for a first offense. Georgia’s card provides no protection at the border.
Employment
Georgia’s medical marijuana law does not include workplace anti-discrimination protections for registered patients. Federal courts have held that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not require employers to accommodate medical cannabis use because it remains illegal under federal law. Georgia employers can generally maintain drug-free workplace policies, test for cannabis, and take adverse action based on a positive result, even when the employee holds a valid registry card. Employees of federal contractors face additional restrictions under the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.