Georgia’s new medical cannabis law takes effect July 1, bringing several major changes to a program that has long been among the more restrictive in the country.
Senate Bill 220, titled the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act,” was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on May 12 after receiving bipartisan approval from lawmakers. The law renames the state’s Low THC Oil Registry as the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry and expands who can qualify for legal medical cannabis access.
Under the new law, Georgia’s list of qualifying conditions will include lupus, while several existing categories are broadened. Cancer eligibility is expanded to include any cancer except skin cancer, unless it is metastatic skin cancer. The law also replaces Crohn’s disease with inflammatory bowel disease and updates AIDS language to HIV when diagnosed as Stage III.
The measure also removes severe or end-stage requirements from multiple conditions, including ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell disease, Tourette’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. Peripheral neuropathy remains limited to severe symptoms, though end-stage language is removed.
Ahead of the July 1 effective date, patients who may qualify under the expanded list are already being directed to begin the certification and registration process. Under Georgia’s system, patients must be certified by a physician licensed in the state, after which the physician registers the patient with the Georgia Department of Public Health.
SB 220 also changes the state’s possession limit. Instead of allowing registered patients to possess up to 20 fluid ounces of low-THC oil, the law allows possession of medical cannabis products containing a cumulative total of up to 12,000 milligrams of THC, as long as the products are kept in properly labeled pharmaceutical containers. Individual packages are capped at 1,200 milligrams of THC.
The law further authorizes patients 21 and older to use medical cannabis through vaporization, while continuing to prohibit smoking or combustion. Public vaporization remains prohibited, and state officials are required to adopt rules implementing the ingestion provisions no later than January 1, 2027.
Patients registered with the state may purchase products from dispensaries licensed by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, as well as independent pharmacies licensed by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy.
Although Georgia’s program remains limited compared to many other medical marijuana laws, the July 1 changes represent one of the largest expansions since the state first created a legal pathway for low-THC cannabis products.
