Laws

House Bill No. 1, dubbed as the Haleigh’s Hope Act, was signed into law on April 16, 2015, by Gov. Nathan Deal The law, which took effect immediately, legalized medical marijuana use in Georgia. It allows people who suffer from cancer, seizure disorders, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses to possess up to twenty ounces of cannabis oil if certified by a physician.

The law, administered by the Department of Public Health, requires patients and their caregivers to register with the Low THC Oil Patient Registry to gain legal access to medical marijuana. Only individuals residing in the state of Georgia for at least one (1) year or a child less than one year old born in the state shall be eligible for registration in the medical marijuana program.

Georgia residents living temporarily in other states are not qualified to secure THC oil for treatment.
The Department shall issue registration cards to patients and caregivers as soon as practicable but no later than September 1, 2015, provided that such patients have been diagnosed with any of the qualifying conditions and have been certified by a licensed physician.

Caregiver Laws

A caregiver, under the state of Georgia Medical Marijuana program, is the parent, guardian, or legal guardian of a person who is less than 18 years old or of an adult.

While the law prescribes that the Department of Public Health shall establish rules and regulations for the registration process and issuance of registry cards to qualifying patients and caregivers, the same have not been promulgated yet. The law, however, provides that the Department shall issue registration card to individuals and caregivers “as soon as possible but not later than September 1, 2015.”

Dispensary Laws

The current law does not contain any provisions regarding the establishment, operation, and administration of marijuana dispensaries. While the law considers it legal for a registered patient to possess twenty fluid ounces of low THC oil, the quandary for the patient is where to obtain this oil in the absence of manufacturers and dispensaries to dispense it.

Growing Laws

The Georgia Haleigh’s Hope Act does not authorize and/or allow marijuana growing.

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