SB220: SB220 "Putting Georgia's Patients First Act"; enact

Georgia currently regulates a cannabis-derived treatment called 'low THC oil' through a patchwork of criminal, health, and agriculture statutes. This bill, called the 'Putting Georgia's Patients First Act,' replaces that term with 'medical cannabis' throughout dozens of Code sections and rewrites how the program works. It changes how legal possession amounts are measured, switching from fluid ounces to milligrams of THC, and it removes the old separate trafficking penalty scale tied to fluid ounces, instead routing amounts above the legal limit to Georgia's general controlled substances penalties (O.C.G.A. Chapter 16-13). It also excludes lawfully possessed medical cannabis from the definition of 'marijuana' under the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. The bill updates the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission's duties, lets licensees share limited product information with doctors and patients, revises where dispensaries can locate (tying the rule to areas where liquor sales are barred, starting July 1, 2026), restricts vaping of medical cannabis to those over 21, revises the list of qualifying medical conditions, and extends registration cards to five years with fewer renewal requirements for patients with incurable conditions.

• Replaces 'low THC oil' with 'medical cannabis' as the legal term across multiple titles of Georgia law, including agriculture, criminal, and public health statutes.
• Changes the measurement for legal possession from fluid ounces of oil to milligrams of THC (up to 12,000 milligrams) and removes the old separate felony and trafficking tiers tied to fluid ounces.
• Directs that possession above the new legal threshold be punished under Georgia's general controlled substances law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 16-13) rather than a standalone medical cannabis penalty scale.
• Excludes lawfully possessed medical cannabis and products from the legal definitions of 'marijuana' and 'tetrahydrocannabinol' under the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.
• Revises the list of medical conditions that qualify a patient for a registration card, adding inflammatory bowel disease and lupus and changing how conditions like HIV and cancer are described.
• Extends patient registration cards to a five-year validity period and exempts patients with incurable or irreversible conditions from annual re-certification.

Registered medical cannabis patients and their caregivers, physicians and pharmacists who certify or dispense treatment, licensed producers and dispensaries, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, the Department of Public Health, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, and law enforcement agencies that handle possession cases.

Patients and caregivers would see a longer registration card period, an expanded list of qualifying conditions, and new limits on who can vape the product. Dispensary siting rules and criminal penalty structures would also change, affecting where facilities can operate and how possession above legal limits is prosecuted.

• Section 1-1 names the bill the 'Putting Georgia's Patients First Act.'
• Sections 2-1 through 2-3 replace 'low THC oil' with 'medical cannabis' in agriculture, criminal, and tort statutes, including the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission's home article.
• Section 3-1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-12-190 and § 16-12-191, defining medical cannabis, changing lawful possession limits to a 12,000 milligram THC cap, and removing the old fluid-ounce-based trafficking felony tiers in favor of Chapter 13 penalties for amounts above the cap.
• Section 3-3 revises the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission's powers under § 16-12-203, including public awareness duties about the medical cannabis program.
• Section 3-4 changes dispensary location rules under § 16-12-215, tying eligibility after July 1, 2026 to areas where liquor sales would be allowed, and permits licensees to share limited product information with physicians and patients under specific restrictions.
• Section 3-7 revises § 16-12-234 to prohibit vaporizing medical cannabis by anyone 21 or younger and requires implementing rules from the Department of Public Health by January 1, 2027.
• Sections 3-8 and 3-9 exclude lawfully possessed medical cannabis from the definitions of 'marijuana' and controlled THC substances under the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.
• Section 3-10 revises § 31-2A-18, updating the qualifying condition list, extending registration cards to five years, and exempting incurable-condition patients from annual re-certification.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-12Act 712
3. 2026-05-12Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-03-23House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-03-18Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
7. 2026-03-12House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
8. 2026-03-12House Third Readers (House)

• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)Primary sponsor
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• David Lucas (D, SD-026)
• Brandon Beach (R, SD-021)
• Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-005)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Colton Moore (R, SD-053)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)

1. FailedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   12 yea, 44 nay

   Adoption Of Amendment #1 By The Senator From The 37th: Senate Vote #172

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   47 yea, 8 nay (1 not voting, 0 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #2 By The Senator From The 6th: Senate Vote #173

3. FailedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   13 yea, 43 nay

   Adoption Of Amendment #3 By The Senator From The 23rd: Senate Vote #174

4. FailedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   12 yea, 43 nay (1 not voting, 0 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #4 By The Senator From The 29th: Senate Vote #175

5. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   39 yea, 17 nay

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #176

6. PassedHouse voteMarch 12, 2026

   138 yea, 21 nay (3 not voting, 14 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #702

7. PassedSenate voteMarch 18, 2026

   36 yea, 15 nay (1 not voting, 2 absent)

   Adoption Of Amend #1a By Sen From The 6th To Amend #1 By Sen From The 6th: Senate Vote #741

8. PassedSenate voteMarch 18, 2026

   38 yea, 14 nay (0 not voting, 2 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute As Amended: Senate Vote #742

9. PassedHouse voteMarch 23, 2026

   144 yea, 21 nay (3 not voting, 8 absent)

   Agree To Senate Amend To House Sub: House Vote #743

• medical cannabis
• drug possession penalties
• patient registration
• Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission
• dispensary regulation