How to Get a Georgia Medical Cannabis Card — DPH Low-THC Oil Patient Registry

Last verified: May 2026

The Three-Step Application

1. Confirm a qualifying condition. Match your documented diagnosis to one of the 17 qualifying conditions under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-191.
2. Get physician certification. Schedule a visit with a Georgia-licensed M.D. or D.O. in good standing with the Georgia Composite Medical Board, with whom you have a bona fide doctor-patient relationship. The physician completes the Low THC Oil Certification form on the DPH portal.
3. File the DPH application. Visit the DPH portal, sign the notarized Low THC Oil Waiver, upload the certification, and pay the $30 fee + $3.75 service fee. Cards arrive via UPS within ~10 business days; signature required at delivery.

Eligibility Requirements

• Georgia resident. Out-of-state cards are honored only for the first 30 days of Georgia residency.
• One of 17 qualifying conditions (or, if SB 220 is signed, the expanded list including lupus, severe arthritis, severe insomnia).
• Bona fide doctor-patient relationship with a Georgia-licensed MD or DO holding active DEA registration.
• Notarized Low THC Oil Waiver. The waiver acknowledges the legal-immunity nature of the card and the limits of the program.
• $30 + $3.75 fee.

Card Mechanics

The Bona-Fide-Relationship Requirement

Under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-231, only a physician fully licensed to practice in Georgia (MD or DO in good standing with the Georgia Composite Medical Board) may certify a patient. The physician must have a bona-fide doctor-patient relationship, diagnose the patient with a qualifying condition, and complete the Low THC Oil Certification form on the DPH portal.

Certifying physicians are immune from arrest, prosecution, or licensing-board discipline under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-231 — a key statutory protection that allowed the certifying-physician network to develop in 2015–2018.

SB 220 (2026), if signed, would tighten physician oversight by requiring certifying physicians to maintain a "principal place of practice" in Georgia — closing what Rep. Mark Newton (R-Augusta) called a "loophole" used by an out-of-state telemedicine physician who had certified roughly 4,000 Georgia patients.

Caregivers

A patient may designate up to two caregivers (parents/guardians for minors, or designated adults for adult patients). Caregivers obtain their own DPH cards, allowing them to legally possess and transport the patient’s low-THC oil. Caregivers may not consume the oil; the 20 fl oz possession limit applies to the patient + caregivers collectively.

What the Card Authorizes

A Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Identification Card authorizes:

• Possession of up to 20 fluid ounces of low-THC oil (≤5% THC, CBD≥THC) by the patient + caregivers collectively.
• Purchase at any Georgia-licensed dispensary or partner pharmacy.
• Use in private. Smoking is not authorized regardless of card status; vaping would be authorized only if SB 220 is signed (effective no later than January 1, 2027 for patients 21+).

The card does not authorize home cultivation (none is permitted under any provision of Georgia law), not defend against (a)(2) DUI charges (see DUI page), not override federal employment drug-testing, and not remove the federal Gun Control Act bar on firearm ownership by cannabis users.

Common Reasons for Application Denial or Delay

• Incomplete or unnotarized waiver. The Low THC Oil Waiver must be notarized.
• Out-of-state physician certification. Only Georgia-licensed MDs and DOs may certify.
• Unmatched qualifying condition. Certifications listing a non-qualifying diagnosis (e.g., generalized anxiety, ADHD, fibromyalgia) are rejected.
• Out-of-state residency. Georgia cards are for Georgia residents.

Where to Apply

• Online portal: dph.georgia.gov/low-thc-oil-registry
• Phone: (770) 909-2765
• Email: THCRegistry@dph.ga.gov
• Card status check: sendss.state.ga.us/ords/sendss/!thc.showstatus

What SB 220 (2026) Would Change

If signed by Gov. Kemp by ~May 12, 2026, SB 220 would:

• Replace "low THC oil" with "medical cannabis" throughout state law.
• Remove the 5% THC potency cap.
• Impose a 12,000 mg total-THC possession ceiling (with 1,200 mg per package).
• Authorize vaporization for patients 21+ (in private, no later than Jan 1, 2027).
• Add lupus, severe arthritis, severe insomnia as qualifying conditions.
• Remove "severe or end-stage" qualifier from many conditions.
• Tighten certifying-physician oversight (Georgia "principal place of practice" requirement).

See SB 220 page for full details.