Georgia Medical Marijuana Card: Qualifying Conditions

What Illnesses Qualify for Medical Marijuana in Georgia?

O.C.G.A. §16-12-201, as expanded by SB 220 effective July 1, 2026, enumerates 18 qualifying conditions for Georgia's medical cannabis program (formerly the Low-THC Oil Registry):

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Alzheimer's disease
• Autism spectrum disorder (age 18 and older, or severe autism for patients under 18)
• Cancer (any cancer except non-metastatic skin cancer)
• Epidermolysis bullosa
• Hospice program patients (inpatient or outpatient)
• HIV (stage III)
• Inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis)
• Intractable pain
• Lupus
• Mitochondrial disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Peripheral neuropathy (severe)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for patients 18 and older
• Seizure disorders related to epilepsy or trauma-related head injuries
• Sickle cell disease
• Tourette's syndrome

SB 220 removed most of the older severe and end-stage requirements. Verify the current signed list with the Georgia Department of Public Health. Access date 2026-07-11.

Is Medical Marijuana Legal in Georgia?

Yes, in a limited medical form. Georgia authorizes medical cannabis for registered patients under Haleigh's Hope Act, O.C.G.A. §16-12-200 et seq., expanded by SB 220 effective July 1, 2026. SB 220 retired the old 5% THC oil cap in favor of a 12,000 mg THC possession limit, authorized vaporization for patients 21 and older, and renamed the program from low-THC oil to medical cannabis. Smoking and recreational cannabis stay illegal statewide. For possession limits and penalties, see Georgia marijuana laws.

What Qualifies You for a Medical Card in Georgia?

Three things qualify you. First, a diagnosed condition on the §16-12-201 list of 18 conditions, a few carrying severity or age qualifiers. Second, a bona fide relationship with a Georgia-licensed physician, which can be established online by telehealth. Third, Georgia residency shown with a state ID. The physician then files your registry certification.

How Do I Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Georgia?

Book a visit with a Georgia-licensed physician, who confirms your qualifying condition and files a written certification to the Department of Public Health medical cannabis patient registry (formerly the Low-THC Oil Patient Registry) under §16-12-201. You pay the $30 state fee for a card valid five years. See the full Georgia Low-THC Oil card walkthrough for each step.

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 medical cannabis program, the enumerated list is narrower than Florida's comparable-class model but grew to 18 conditions under SB 220, effective July 1, 2026. Georgia operates a tightly regulated medical cannabis 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, renamed the medical cannabis patient registry by SB 220 effective July 1, 2026, is the state credential that authorizes registered patients to possess medical cannabis 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 prohibits retail smokable flower and traditional 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 SB 220 (signed May 2026, effective July 1, 2026), which grew the list to 18 conditions, replaced the 5% THC cap with a 12,000 mg possession limit, authorized vaporization for patients 21 and older, and renamed the program medical cannabis. Verify the current signed list directly with the Georgia Department of Public Health 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, including any statutory qualifier that applies (for example severe peripheral neuropathy or stage III HIV). 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, as expanded by SB 220 effective July 1, 2026, the qualifying-conditions list for Georgia's medical cannabis patient registry includes the following 18 conditions. A few carry statutory qualifiers noted below. 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 (any cancer except non-metastatic skin cancer). Group of diseases involving uncontrolled cell growth. SB 220 broadened Georgia's cancer listing from end-stage or treatment-induced symptoms to any cancer other than non-metastatic skin cancer. 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.

Inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). Chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. SB 220 broadened Georgia's listing from Crohn's disease alone to inflammatory bowel disease. Cannabis has limited evidence for symptomatic improvement (pain, sleep, appetite) but no evidence for inducing or maintaining clinical remission. Learn about cannabis for inflammatory bowel 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 (age 18 and older, or severe autism under 18). 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 (stage III). Viral infection that progressively weakens the immune system; Georgia lists stage III HIV disease. Cannabinoids have moderate evidence for improving appetite and weight gain in HIV/AIDS-associated wasting per NASEM 2017. Learn about cannabis for HIV/AIDS.

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus). Chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue across multiple organ systems. Added to the Georgia list by SB 220 in 2026. Cannabis has limited evidence for symptomatic management of lupus-associated pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance. Learn about cannabis for lupus.

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 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 SB 220 (2025-2026 session), Putting Georgia's Patients First Act. Bill record and enrolled text (signed May 2026, effective July 1, 2026: 18 conditions, 12,000 mg possession limit, vaporization for 21 and older, program renamed medical cannabis).
• 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.