Cannabis in Savannah Georgia — Port City, SCAD, March 2018 Ordinance

Last verified: May 2026

Savannah and the Port

Savannah, the seat of Chatham County, was founded in 1733 as the planned colonial capital of Georgia. The historic district’s squares (Forsyth, Madison, Lafayette, etc.) and Spanish-moss-draped live oaks make it one of the most-visited cultural-tourism cities in the South.

Per the Georgia Ports Authority’s July 29, 2025 fiscal-year press release from GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch, Savannah is "the third-busiest container gateway in the U.S.," having moved 5.7 million TEUs in fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025).

The March 2018 City Ordinance

Savannah City Council passed a sub-ounce decriminalization ordinance on March 22, 2018 (Council vote 8–1; effective July 1, 2018). The ordinance reduced city-court charging for sub-ounce possession within city limits to a $150 fine, comparable to Atlanta’s $75 model but at a higher fine.

State law preempts. Georgia State Patrol troopers and Chatham County sheriff’s deputies operating within Savannah retain charging authority under O.C.G.A. § 16-13-2(b). See city-ordinances page for the full list of Georgia jurisdictions with similar ordinances.

SCAD — The City’s Largest Private Employer

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is the city’s largest private employer. SCAD operates one of the largest art-and-design university programs in the United States, with substantial Atlanta and Savannah campuses. The student population is highly cosmopolitan; cannabis cultural awareness is high.

SCAD as a private university applies its own drug-and-alcohol policies; cannabis use on campus is prohibited regardless of state or local status.

Tybee Island

Tybee Island (eastern Chatham County) passed its own decriminalization ordinance in 2021, setting a $150 fine for sub-ounce within Tybee city limits. Tybee is a major beach-tourism destination; the ordinance reflects both local political alignment with Savannah and a tourism-friendly approach to cannabis policy.

Trulieve Pooler & Botanical Sciences Pooler

Pooler (just outside Savannah on I-95) hosts Trulieve’s Pooler dispensary and Botanical Sciences’ Pooler location — the principal medical-cannabis access points for the Savannah metro. Pooler sits ~15 miles west of downtown Savannah; the I-16 / I-95 corridor makes the drive ~20 minutes.

Federal Footprint — Hunter Army Airfield

Hunter Army Airfield, on the south side of Savannah, is part of the larger Fort Stewart / Hunter Army Airfield installation. Hunter is the home of the 3rd Infantry Division’s aviation brigade. The Stewart-Hunter installation employs approximately 25,500 people total — ~21,200 active-duty soldiers and ~4,350 Army civilians and contractors. Federal drug-testing applies. See federal-installations page.

Tourism & The Cultural Cannabis Posture

Savannah’s tourism economy — ~14 million visitors annually pre-pandemic — brings substantial out-of-state visitor traffic. The city’s cultural posture toward cannabis is permissive within the bounds of state law: smoke shops and dedicated hemp retailers operate openly throughout the historic district and beyond. Savannah is one of the largest hemp-derived-product markets in Georgia outside Atlanta.

Visiting non-resident medical-cannabis cardholders are not covered by Haleigh’s Hope Act’s 30-day reciprocity (which applies only to new Georgia residents). Tourism cannabis is functionally limited to hemp-derived products available at smoke shops and hemp retailers.

Practical Patient Notes

• Combined state + local sales tax in Savannah runs ~8.0% at retail (4% state + ~4% local).
• Within Savannah city limits, sub-ounce charging is $150 max under the 2018 ordinance — but state-level charging remains available.
• Hunter Army Airfield personnel face federal drug-testing.
• Fort Stewart (Hinesville, ~45 minutes south of Savannah) is the larger Stewart-Hunter installation.
• The Port of Savannah and federal port operations face federal drug-testing requirements.