Georgia Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions

What Are the Qualifying Conditions for a Georgia Low-THC Oil Card?

O.C.G.A. §16-12-201 enumerates Georgia's qualifying conditions: end-stage cancer, ALS, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, sickle cell disease, severe or end-stage Parkinson's disease, mitochondrial disease, severe HIV or AIDS, severe peripheral neuropathy, autism spectrum disorder, epidermolysis bullosa, Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, Tourette's syndrome, and hospice care. Most require severe or end-stage status. Access date 2026-06-01.

Why Georgia's Low-THC Oil Program Matters

If you live in Georgia and you are looking at whether your condition qualifies for the state Low-THC Oil program, the list is narrower than most other Southeastern states. Georgia operates a low-THC-oil-only medical program under O.C.G.A. §16-12-200 et seq., commonly known as Haleigh's Hope Act, with qualifying conditions enumerated under §16-12-201. Miracle Leaf® physicians work with Georgia patients across the Low-THC Oil Patient Registry through primarily telehealth evaluations, with limited in-clinic options also available.

Book your Georgia telehealth evaluation.

Prefer in-person? Call (833) LEGAL-MJ for limited in-clinic Georgia scheduling.

What the Georgia Low-THC Oil Registry Actually Is

The Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry is the state credential that authorizes registered patients to possess low-THC oil under Haleigh's Hope Act. The Atlanta-based Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC) regulates dispensary licensing, cultivation, processing, and product testing. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) administers the patient registry itself and issues the Low-THC Oil Registry ID card.

Georgia is unlike Florida and unlike Texas. Where Florida runs a broad medical program covering flower, edibles, vapes, and oil with one of the largest qualifying-condition lists in the country, Georgia caps THC at 5% by weight, prohibits smokable flower and edibles, and limits the qualifying-condition list to a narrowly enumerated set under §16-12-201. The program legalized in 2015 with eight conditions. The list has expanded across more than a decade of legislative work, most notably HB 65 in 2018 (which added intractable pain and PTSD) and 2026 SB 220, which is reported to expand the list further and authorize vaporization for selected patients. Verify the current signed list directly with the Georgia Department of Public Health Low-THC Oil Patient Registry before relying on this page as exhaustive.

A Georgia-licensed physician evaluates two things at a certification visit. First, whether your records demonstrate a qualifying condition under §16-12-201, with most conditions requiring severe or end-stage status. Second, whether the bona fide patient-physician relationship is established under Georgia law. You will need a Georgia driver license or state ID and primary clinical records (clinic notes, imaging or lab results, current medication list).

The most useful way to think about Georgia preparation is this: the evaluation is a real medical visit against a strict qualifying-condition statute. Patients who arrive with primary records sorted finish the process faster and reach the dispensary with a stronger plan.

Georgia Qualifying Conditions Under Haleigh's Hope Act

Per O.C.G.A. §16-12-201, the qualifying-conditions list for the Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry includes the following. Most conditions require severe or end-stage status. Click any card to read the full clinical evidence summary on the Qualifying Conditions hub.

Chronic pain (intractable). Pain persisting beyond expected healing time, lasting months or longer. The 2017 NASEM consensus report classified the evidence as conclusive or substantial that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for chronic pain in adults. Added to the Georgia list by HB 65 in 2018. Learn about cannabis for chronic pain.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma- and stressor-related disorder following exposure to combat, assault, accident, or violence. The 2017 NASEM report found limited evidence that nabilone improves PTSD-related sleep outcomes; broader symptom-relief evidence remains limited. Added to the Georgia list by HB 65 in 2018. Learn about cannabis for PTSD.

Multiple sclerosis (spasticity). Patient-reported muscle spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis. The 2017 NASEM report found substantial evidence that oral cannabinoids improve patient-reported MS spasticity. Learn about cannabis for MS spasticity.

Cancer (end-stage or treatment-induced symptoms). Group of diseases involving uncontrolled cell growth. Cannabinoids have conclusive or substantial evidence as antiemetics in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting per NASEM 2017, and moderate evidence for sleep disturbance among cancer patients. Learn about cannabis for cancer.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Progressive neurodegenerative disease destroying motor neurons. Cannabis evidence is limited and symptomatic (spasticity, sleep, pain, appetite), not disease-modifying. Learn about cannabis for ALS.

Seizure disorders / epilepsy. Neurological conditions involving abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Cannabidiol has strong evidence for reducing seizure frequency in Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex, and is FDA-approved as Epidiolex for those three indications. Learn about cannabis for seizure disorders.

Crohn's disease. Chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting any portion of the gastrointestinal tract. Cannabis has limited evidence for symptomatic improvement (pain, sleep, appetite) but no evidence for inducing or maintaining clinical remission. Learn about cannabis for Crohn's disease.

Parkinson's disease. Progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting movement. Cannabis evidence is limited and symptomatic (tremor, sleep, pain), with no demonstrated disease-modifying effect. Learn about cannabis for Parkinson's disease.

Sickle-cell disease. Inherited red blood cell disorder causing chronic anemia, vaso-occlusive pain crises, and end-organ damage. Cannabis has limited evidence for managing chronic and acute sickle-cell pain. Learn about cannabis for sickle cell disease.

Tourette syndrome. Neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. Cannabis evidence is limited and primarily aimed at tic reduction in treatment-resistant cases. Learn about Tourette syndrome.

Autism spectrum disorder (severe). Neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication and restricted or repetitive behaviors. Cannabis has insufficient high-quality evidence for core autism symptoms. Limited evidence exists for severe behavioral symptoms in specific subgroups. Learn about cannabis for autism spectrum disorder.

Alzheimer's disease. Progressive neurodegenerative disease and most common cause of dementia. Cannabis has limited evidence for managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (agitation, sleep disturbance, appetite loss). Learn about cannabis for Alzheimer's disease.

HIV/AIDS. Viral infection that progressively weakens the immune system. Cannabinoids have moderate evidence for improving appetite and weight gain in HIV/AIDS-associated wasting per NASEM 2017. Learn about cannabis for HIV/AIDS.

Hospice or terminal illness. Hospice-eligible or terminal-diagnosis patients qualify under the Georgia statute regardless of underlying disease, with cannabis used for symptomatic comfort care. Learn about terminal illness qualifying status.

Peripheral neuropathy. Damage or dysfunction of peripheral nerves causing burning pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the hands and feet. Cannabis has moderate evidence for reducing chronic neuropathic pain, including peripheral neuropathy from diabetes, chemotherapy, or HIV. Learn about cannabis for peripheral neuropathy.

The Georgia statute also enumerates mitochondrial disease and severe epidermolysis bullosa as qualifying conditions per §16-12-201. Confirm coverage of any condition not listed above directly with the Georgia Department of Public Health Low-THC Oil Patient Registry or your certifying physician.

Miracle Leaf® physicians review Georgia patients against this enumerated list at every certification visit. Telehealth evaluations are available statewide.

Telehealth Versus In-Clinic in Georgia

Georgia is one of the medical-cannabis states where the evaluation is primarily telehealth. Per Georgia Department of Public Health practice and program experience, the Georgia-licensed physician may establish the bona fide patient-physician relationship and submit the §16-12-201 written certification by video visit. The physician then submits the certification electronically to the Department of Public Health Low-THC Oil Patient Registry.

That is why Miracle Leaf® leads with telehealth for Georgia patients. Book a virtual evaluation from anywhere in Georgia. For patients who prefer to meet face to face, limited in-clinic Georgia locations are available. Call (833) LEGAL-MJ for in-person scheduling.

For comparison, Florida runs in-clinic-first for the initial visit (telehealth becomes available for renewals after the in-person relationship is established). Texas runs telehealth-first physician prescriptions through the Compassionate-Use Registry. Georgia sits between the two, primarily telehealth with selected in-clinic availability.

Sources for Georgia Qualifying Conditions

• O.C.G.A. §16-12-200 et seq., Haleigh's Hope Act (Low-THC Oil). State .gov primary statute.
• O.C.G.A. §16-12-201, qualifying conditions enumeration. State .gov primary statute (Haleigh's Hope Act conditions list).
• Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC). State .gov program portal.
• Georgia Department of Public Health, Low-THC Oil Patient Registry. State .gov registry administrator.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017). nationalacademies.org (source: peer-reviewed consensus report).

Related Georgia Medical Cannabis Resources

• Qualifying conditions hub for the full Miracle Leaf® condition library across all states.
• Florida qualifying conditions for the broader Florida §381.986 enumerated list.
• Texas qualifying conditions for the TCUP qualifying-condition comparison.
• Georgia program details for the full Georgia state-program overview.

Ready to Start Your Georgia Low-THC Oil Card?

Ready to enroll? Call (833) LEGAL-MJ to coordinate a Georgia telehealth evaluation with a Miracle Leaf® Georgia-licensed physician, or schedule a limited in-clinic Georgia appointment.

Disclaimer

This page is informational and is not medical or legal advice. Georgia medical cannabis law is set by O.C.G.A. §16-12-200 et seq. (Haleigh's Hope Act) and administered by the Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission and the Georgia Department of Public Health. Consult a qualified Georgia-licensed physician for clinical questions and a licensed Georgia attorney for legal questions. Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and a Georgia Low-THC Oil Registry card does not protect federal employment, federal contracting, security clearances, or DOT-regulated transportation work.