SB 220: "Putting Georgia's Patients First Act"; enact

Georgia currently regulates cannabis oil for registered patients under the name 'low THC oil,' with possession limited by fluid ounces and a narrower list of qualifying medical conditions. Senate Bill 220, called the 'Putting Georgia's Patients First Act,' relabels this substance as 'medical cannabis' throughout state law and changes how much a patient can lawfully possess, switching from a 20 fluid ounce limit to a cap of 12,000 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis. It removes the old felony 'trafficking' tiers tied to fluid ounces and instead routes larger amounts to the general penalties in Georgia's Controlled Substances Act. The bill also expands the list of medical conditions that qualify a patient for a registration card, including adding lupus and inflammatory bowel disease, changes dispensary location rules near schools and churches, restricts vaporizing medical cannabis for people 21 or younger, allows electronic registration cards, and updates the duties of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, including new public education efforts. Registration cards remain valid for five years, with annual certification required except for patients with incurable conditions.

• Renames 'low THC oil' as 'medical cannabis' across multiple titles of Georgia law, including agriculture, criminal, and public health statutes.
• Replaces the 20 fluid ounce possession limit with a cap of 12,000 milligrams of THC for registered patients carrying a valid registration card.
• Removes the old felony trafficking penalty scale based on fluid ounces of low THC oil and instead applies Georgia's general Controlled Substances Act penalties (O.C.G.A. Chapter 13 of Title 16) above the new cap.
• Adds lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and revised HIV and cancer definitions to the list of conditions that qualify a patient for a medical cannabis registration card.
• Bans smoking or combustion of medical cannabis outright and bans vaporizing it in public or by anyone 21 or younger, while requiring new rules by January 1, 2027.
• Lets patients and caregivers choose electronic or physical registration cards and requires annual re-certification of a patient's condition, except for incurable or irreversible conditions.

Registered medical cannabis patients and their caregivers, physicians and pharmacists who certify or dispense medical cannabis, licensed producers and dispensaries regulated by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, colleges and universities running related research, and health care institutions that allow use of medical cannabis on-site.

Patients would be able to possess more product measured by actual THC content rather than oil volume, and more medical conditions would qualify for a registration card. Restrictions on smoking and youth vaporizing, plus new dispensary siting rules, would change how and where patients can legally obtain and use medical cannabis.

• Section 3-1 rewrites the definition of medical cannabis (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-190) and changes the lawful possession limit from 20 fluid ounces to 12,000 milligrams of THC in a labeled pharmaceutical container.
• Section 3-1 removes the old tiered felony 'trafficking' penalties for large quantities of low THC oil and instead applies the general penalties under Georgia's Controlled Substances Act (Chapter 13 of Title 16).
• Section 3-4 changes dispensary location rules, and on and after July 1, 2026 bars dispensing licenses (other than pharmacy licenses) at locations where distilled spirits sales would be prohibited.
• Section 3-7 makes smoking or combusting medical cannabis unlawful for anyone, bans vaporizing it for those 21 or younger, and bans use of any kind in public places, with implementing rules due by January 1, 2027.
• Section 3-10 expands qualifying conditions under O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-18 to include lupus and inflammatory bowel disease, revises the cancer and HIV definitions, and allows electronic registration cards subject to funding.
• Section 3-10 requires annual re-certification of a patient's condition to keep a five-year registration card valid, except for patients with incurable or irreversible conditions.
• Section 3-3 adds a duty for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission to conduct public awareness and education activities about the medical cannabis program.

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
• low THC oil law
• patient registration cards
• cannabis possession limits
• dispensary regulations