Medical Cannabis

You must meet all of the following:

• Hold an active license to practice medicine in Georgia
• Have an established doctor-patient relationship with the patient
• Be actively treating the patient for the qualifying condition, or managing the patient in a hospice program
• Review the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) database before certifying (new requirement)
• Provide the patient with the Board's waiver form so they understand the risks before registration

Certification is not a prescription. It confirms that you have examined the patient and determined they have a qualifying condition. You are never required to certify a patient.

Under Board Rule 360-36-.01(6), you must be the patient's primary care physician or a specialist treating the patient for the specific condition that requires medical cannabis, and you must keep records supporting the diagnosis and treatment.

This qualifies:

• You are the treating physician for the qualifying condition
• You are managing the patient in a hospice program
• Records supporting the diagnosis are on file

This does not qualify:

• A one-time or episodic consultation
• You are not the physician treating the qualifying condition
• No documentation of ongoing treatment

• Alzheimer's disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Autism spectrum disorder (18 and older), or severe autism (under 18)
• Any cancer except skin cancer, unless the skin cancer is metastatic
• Epidermolysis bullosa
• HIV diagnosed as Stage III
• Hospice patients, inpatient or outpatient
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Intractable pain
• Lupus (new)
• Mitochondrial disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Peripheral neuropathy, when symptoms are severe
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (18 and older)
• Seizure disorders related to epilepsy or trauma-related head injury
• Sickle cell disease
• Tourette's syndrome

Certifying physicians must file reports annually online through the DPH registry within 10 days of the annual reporting period. Reports include:

• Recommended dosages per condition
• Patient clinical responses to treatment
• THC and THCA levels in test results
• Patient compliance with treatment
• Side effects and adverse reactions
• Drug interactions with other medications
• Whether you are still treating the patient
• The patient's registry card number

All report data is confidential and is used to study how well medical cannabis works for each condition. Under SB 395, a missed physician report cannot be used to cancel a patient's card.

1. Register and log in to the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry
2. Complete the annual Medical Cannabis Certification form
3. Enter patient and caregiver information and upload their ID (and proof of Georgia residency if needed)
4. File the certification in the patient's medical record
5. Cancel a patient's card in the registry if they move out of state or pass away

The Board can discipline physicians under O.C.G.A. § 43-34-8. Possible actions include reprimand, suspension or revocation of your license, and removal from registry participation.

You may face discipline if you:

• Certify a patient without an established doctor-patient relationship
• Certify a patient you are not treating for the qualifying condition
• Certify a patient based on a one-time visit or without supporting records
• Certify a condition that is not on the qualifying list
• Certify without first reviewing the PDMP
• Fail to provide the Board's waiver form
• Fail to submit required physician reports

• Marijuana is still not legal in Georgia. The law only protects registered patients and caregivers who have an active card.
• You must have a qualifying condition (see the list in the physician section) and be a Georgia resident.
• Your physician must certify you. This is the only legal way to get a card. Your physician must be the doctor actually treating your condition.
• Certification is not a prescription. Your doctor is confirming that you have a qualifying condition, not prescribing a product.
• Your doctor does not have to certify you. It is entirely their medical decision.
• You may possess up to 12,000 milligrams of THC. Products must be in labeled pharmaceutical containers from a licensed Georgia dispensary.
• Your card is valid for 5 years and costs $30. Insurance does not cover it.
• Caregivers can include a parent or guardian of a patient under 18, an adult the patient designates, or a health care facility where the patient receives care.

1. See the physician who treats your qualifying condition
2. If they certify you, they enter your information in the DPH registry
3. DPH verifies your information and emails you a payment link
4. Pay within 60 days, and your card arrives by UPS (signature required)

Check your card status

If your physician is doing any of these, it is not correct:

• Certifying you after a single visit with no ongoing care for your condition
• Certifying you when they are not the doctor treating your qualifying condition
• Certifying you for a condition that is not on the qualifying list
• Calling the certification a "prescription"
• Not giving you the Board's waiver form explaining the risks

If you have concerns about a physician, you can file a complaint with the Board here: Complaint Gateway | Georgia Composite Medical Board

• Possessing more than 12,000 milligrams of THC
• Having medical cannabis without an active, unexpired card
• Letting someone who is not a registered patient or caregiver use or hold your medical cannabis
• Buying products outside of a licensed Georgia dispensary
• Moving out of Georgia (your card will be cancelled)
• Not paying for your card within 60 days (your card will be cancelled)