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 into the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry, DPH will verify that the information is accurate and complete. If there is a question, 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

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 up to 12,000 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or medical cannabis.

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.

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

For patients and caregivers without a permanent or secure home address or with a P.O. Box, their cards will be shipped to a health department closest to their residence. 

1. Carroll County Health Department
2. Catoosa County Health Department
3. Chatham County Health Department
4. Cherokee County Health Department
5. Clarke County Health Department
6. Clayton County Health Department
7. Cobb County Health Department
8. Colquitt County Health Department
9. Decatur County Health Department
10. DeKalb County Health Department
11. Douglas County Health Department
12. Fannin County Health Department
13. Fayette County Health Department
14. Floyd County Health Department
15. Forsyth County Health Department
16. Franklin County Health Department
17. Fulton County Health Department
    1. Adamsville Regional Medical Center
    2. College Park Regional Health Center
    3. Fulton County Vital Records
    4. Neighborhood Union Health Center
    5. North Fulton Regional Health Center
18. Glynn County Health Department
19. Gordon County Health Department 
20. Gwinnett County Health Department
21. Hall County Health Department
22. Henry County Health Department
23. Houston County Health Department
24. Laurens County Health Department
25. Lowndes County Health Department
26. Macon-Bibb County Health Department
27. Morgan County Health Department
28. Muscogee County Health Department
29. Newton County Health Department
30. Richmond County Health Department
31. Rockdale County Health Department
32. Stephens County Health Department
33. Sumter County Health Department
34. Tift County Health Department
35. Troup County Health Department
36. Turner County Health Department
37. Walton County Health Department
38. Ware County Health Department
39. Whitfield County Health Department

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.