Medical Cannabis Information for Patients and Caregivers

The law allows fully licensed physicians*, with a principal practice location in Georgia, to certify and manage patients who have a qualifying condition to obtain medical cannabis. ​Physician certification is the only way patients can legally access medical cannabis in the state. 

Once the physician certifies your condition and uploads your information with required documentation into the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry, DPH will verify that the information is accurate and complete. If there is a question or additional documentation is needed, you will be contacted by DPH. If all information is verified as correct, you will receive an email with instructions on how to pay for your Medical Cannabis card. 

*Physicians are not required to certify patients; the certification decision is based entirely on the physician’s medical judgment

Proof of identity and residency in Georgia is required. It is important that the documents you provide to the certifying physician are up to date and include all required information. 

• Your ID must be current and not expired. It should include your current Georgia address. 
• If your ID does not list your current Georgia address, you must provide an additional document proving residency (such as a utility bill, phone bill, or pay stub) that displays your full name and street address. 

Accepted Forms of ID

• Georgia driver's license
• Georgia state-issued identification card

Other Accepted Forms of ID that Require Additional Proof of Residency Document

• U.S. passport
• Military ID 
• Out-of-state driver’s license or state-issued ID

Proof of Residency Documents

• Utility bill, phone bill, medical bill, pay stub
• Document must include your full name and street address 

The following conditions  qualify patients for the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Alzheimer's disease
• Autism spectrum disorder, when such disorder is diagnosed for a patient who is at least 18 years of age, or severe autism, when diagnosed for a patient who is less than 18 years of age
• Any cancer except skin cancer, unless it is metastatic skin cancer 
• Epidermolysis bullosa
• Patient is in hospice program, either as inpatient or outpatient
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), when such disease is diagnosed as stage III
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Intractable pain
• Lupus
• Mitochondrial disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Peripheral neuropathy, when such symptoms are diagnosed as severe 
• Post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from direct exposure to or the witnessing of a trauma for a patient who is at least 18 years of age
• Seizure disorders related to a diagnosis of epilepsy or trauma-related head injuries
• Sickle cell disease
• Tourette's syndrome

Patients or their caregivers are allowed to legally possess medical cannabis that contains up to 12,000 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The Medical Cannabis card is valid for five years. The expiration date is printed on the front of the card. After that time, you must consult with your physician to renew your card.

The fee for a Medical Cannabis card is $30 per card. Health insurance does not cover the cost of the card.

Patients and caregivers will receive an email with a link to DPH’s secure payment portal. In addition to the $30 cost of the Medical Cannabis card, there is a $3.75 service fee when using the payment portal. 

If a cardholder is unable to pay via the payment portal or does not have access to an email address, they can mail a money order in the amount of $30 to:

Georgia Department of Public Health

Attn: Medical Cannabis Program 

200 Piedmont Ave SE, 

West Tower, Suite 1710

Atlanta, GA 30334

Payments must be submitted within 60 days. After 60 days, your card will be cancelled, and you will need to contact your physician to reinstate it.

1. Submit a valid, non-expired, accepted form of ID. 
2. Submit documentation of your current address if it is different from the one on your ID or if your ID doesn’t include an address. 
3. Submit your payment when you receive the email requesting payment. 

Once your payment is complete, your card will be shipped via UPS to your mailing address on file.  A signature is required for delivery, so cardholders must ensure that someone is present to sign for the package. After three delivery attempts, the package will be returned to DPH; and the cardholder will need to contact the Department for the card to be shipped again. 

If you do not have a permanent or secure home address or use a P.O. Box, your card will be shipped to the health department location nearest your residence (see locations below). DPH will contact cardholders when their card is ready. To pick up the card, cardholders must provide a valid driver’s license, state-issued identification, passport, military ID, or other valid forms of identification. 

Please allow up to 10 business days from the time your payment is processed to receive your Medical Cannabis card. 

Check your card status

If there is more than one caregiver, each caregiver may apply for a card. Each card costs $30.

For cards shipped to a health department location, patients and caregivers may authorize an individual to pick up their Medical Cannabis card for them.

If someone other than yourself or your caregiver is picking up the card on your behalf, you will need to sign an  authorization form  (PDF, 226.51 KB)  (PDF, 265.59 KB) allowing them to do so. 

The individual picking up the card must have their own identification, as well as the cardholder’s identification.

If you lose your card, or the information on your card is wrong or outdated, please contact the Medical Cannabis Program by emailing [email protected] or calling (770) 909-2765.

To find locations that sell Medical Cannabis, visit the Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission website.

Yes. Any Low THC Oil Registry Card that has not expired remains valid, even though the program has been renamed the Georgia Medical Cannabis Patient Registry. The name change does not invalidate existing, unexpired cards. Law enforcement should continue to recognize unexpired Low THC Oil Registry Cards as valid until their expiration date. Replacement and newly issued cards will reflect the updated Medical Cannabis program name.