Georgia Bill Expanding Medical Marijuana Access and Updating Patient Rules Sent to Governor Kemp
- The Georgia legislature has approved Senate Bill 220, the Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act, which now awaits Governor Brian Kemp’s signature.
- The bill replaces the term "low THC oil" with "medical cannabis," extends patient registry cards’ validity to five years, and removes the need for annual certification for patients with incurable or irreversible conditions.
- It expands qualifying medical conditions to include lupus, severe arthritis, and severe insomnia, and allows patients and caregivers to use electronic or physical registry cards, with electronic cards usable immediately upon application approval.
- The bill changes THC limits from a 5% cap to a 12,000 milligram limit and permits patients aged 21 and older to vape medical cannabis, broadening the forms of consumption allowed under state law.
A bill that would make wide-ranging changes to Georgia’s medical marijuana law has now been sent to Governor Brian Kemp after the House voted today to agree to minor changes made by the Senate. Senate Bill 220, titled the Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act, was approved by the Senate in a 38 to 14 vote before winning final House approval today by a vote of 144 to 21. With both chambers now signing off on the same version, the measure heads to the governor’s desk.
The proposal would officially replace the term low THC oil throughout state law with medical cannabis, a change supporters say better reflects how the program will operate under the new law. It would also make patient registry cards valid for five years, while keeping annual certification in place for most patients. Those with incurable or irreversible conditions would no longer need yearly certification.
The bill would expand the list of qualifying conditions to include lupus, severe arthritis and severe insomnia, while also revising how some existing conditions are defined. It would allow patients and caregivers to choose electronic cards, physical cards or both, and it would allow electronic cards to be used immediately for purchases once an eligible application is received.
The measure would also change how THC limits are handled under state law. Rather than a percentage-based cap (5% under current law), the bill would move to a 12,000 milligram limit. It would also allow patients 21 and older to vape medical cannabis, a notable change for a program that has long barred inhalable forms.
If Governor Kemp signs SB 220 into law, or allows it to become a law without his signature, it will make Georgia the 41st medical cannabis state.