SB 395: Department of Public Health; eligible for the Low THC Oil Patient Registry; require a physician to submit certain information to the Georgia Composite Medical Board

In plain language

What the bill does

Who it affects

Why it matters

Key provisions

From the bill

Discussed in meetings (24)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

1. Senate Health and Human Services Committee, January 28, 2026

   From 0:20:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would allow the Department of Public Health to share information with the Georgia Composite Medical Board, put existing physician-patient relationship rules into law, and replace twice-yearly reporting with annual reporting. The sponsor cited 54% reporting compliance and a New York physician who certified almost 4,000 Georgia patients as reasons for stronger oversight. Several committee members questioned removing detailed reporting requirements from law, saying dosage, treatment response and safety information could support research. The sponsor and the medical board’s executive director said board rules would retain those requirements while allowing flexibility. A veteran patient said requiring certification by a treating physician could create barriers because VA physicians cannot certify patients. A physician witness said certifying doctors cannot track patients’ dispensary purchases. A second physician, a Georgia Medical Cannabis Society witness and a former legislator raised concerns about telehealth access and restrictions imposed by healthcare employers. Another physician supported information sharing but opposed removing reporting details. The board’s executive director said referring and certifying physicians could share care. The motion to table failed 8 to 7. After procedural clarification, members retained twice-yearly reporting, 9 to 6, and restored most detailed reporting and research language, while leaving THC-level test results removed, 12 to 3. The amended bill passed 9 to 6.

2. Senate floor session, January 29, 2026 (legislative day 9)

   From 0:43:49 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk read the Health and Human Services Committee's recommendation to pass SB 395 by substitute. The clerk then read a senator's notice of intent to submit a minority report alongside the majority report. No explanation of the competing positions or floor vote followed.

3. Senate Rules Committee, February 6, 2026

   From 0:07:09 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member moved to transfer the bill from the general calendar to standing rules. The motion received a second and passed unanimously without substantive discussion of the bill.

4. Senate Rules Committee, February 9, 2026

   From 0:03:23 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the substitute would address an information-sharing gap between the Department of Public Health, which handles cannabis card applications, and the Georgia Composite Medical Board, which handles physician enforcement. The sponsor said other provisions had been removed because they were already in law. A committee member asked specifically about removing requirements to confirm a doctor-patient relationship and treatment for a qualifying condition. The sponsor answered that those requirements already existed. During discussion of enforcement, speakers raised concerns about a New York doctor associated with almost 4,000 patients. The committee unanimously approved the substitute.

5. Senate Rules Committee, February 12, 2026

   From 0:07:42 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would improve communication between the Department of Public Health and the state medical board about the medical cannabis program. No questions or vote followed.

6. Senate Rules Committee, February 17, 2026

   From 0:09:37 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described SB 395 as improving enforcement of the medical cannabis program and noted that the committee had heard about it previously. No further explanation, substantive questions or calendar action followed.

7. Senate Rules Committee, February 19, 2026

   From 0:10:54 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would fix a communication gap between the Department of Public Health and the Georgia Composite Medical Board concerning the medical cannabis program. No questions or vote followed.

8. Senate Rules Committee, February 20, 2026

   From 0:08:31 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would improve communication between the Department of Public Health and the state medical board concerning medical cannabis. No substantive questions followed. A committee member later selected the bill, and the committee unanimously approved it as part of a five-bill floor calendar motion.

9. Senate floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23)

   From 3:17:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would improve communication between the Department of Public Health, which processes medical cannabis applications, and the medical board, which enforces physician licensing rules. The sponsor said out-of-state doctors were certifying Georgia patients through telemedicine websites, including one New York doctor who had certified almost 4,000 people. The sponsor said the simplified committee substitute would let the medical board receive registry information to check licensing compliance, not restrict legitimate patient certification. The clerk's reading reflected a narrower substitute focused on disclosure rather than the original reporting requirements. No questions or opposing speeches followed. The Senate adopted the substitute without objection and passed the bill, 46-0.

10. House Public and Community Health Committee, March 5, 2026

    From 0:29:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would let the Department of Public Health share de-identified medical cannabis registry information with the Georgia Composite Medical Board to oversee certifying physicians, not restrict eligible patients. The sponsor cited concerns about online certifications and physicians failing to meet patient-relationship, treatment and reporting requirements. A department witness said nearly 35,000 patients were registered, with about 30% certified by out-of-state physicians. The sponsor said those physicians must hold Georgia licenses and that the bill would not affect interstate licensing agreements. Members questioned whether existing reporting law already addressed the problem. Department and board witnesses explained that the department collects reports using its computer system, but registry confidentiality rules limit sharing with the board. One member sought to delete broad language allowing access by other licensing boards or replace it with a specific list. Witnesses cited nursing and pharmacy boards as possible recipients and described confidentiality safeguards. No amendment was adopted. A member moved to table the bill for more work; another opposed delay, calling it a straightforward communication fix. Voting was interrupted by loss of a quorum, with no clear result announced. After returning to the bill, the chair requested further discussions before moving it forward.

11. House Public and Community Health Committee, March 17, 2026

    From 0:38:03 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a revised substitute for SB 395 and described three changes since earlier committee presentations. The sponsor said physician reporting would change from twice yearly to annually to encourage compliance. The substitute would also clarify that the Department of Public Health could not use a report, or failure to submit one, as grounds to revoke a registry card. The sponsor distinguished the department’s administrative role from the Georgia Composite Medical Board’s enforcement role. Finally, the sponsor said language allowing information to go to other licensing boards had been removed, leaving information available to the medical board for compliance work. The sponsor reported that the department, the medical board and parties who had raised concerns were satisfied with the revision. No substantive questions or public testimony followed. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote.

12. House Rules Committee, March 19, 2026

    From 0:38:14 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would improve communication about the medical cannabis program between the Department of Public Health, which handles administration, and the Georgia Composite Medical Board, which handles enforcement. The sponsor reported no known disagreement with the bill. There were no questions or calendar action.

13. House Rules Committee, March 20, 2026

    From 1:04:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2957

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed SB 395 on the day's supplemental calendar with no opposition voiced. No provisions were explained or debated.

14. House floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35)

    From 1:37:53 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Withdrawn, Recommitted)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: A member moved to return SB 395 to the Rules Committee. The clerk read its caption concerning the Department of Public Health. Without objection, the House withdrew the bill from the calendar and returned it to the committee. No discussion of its policy provisions occurred.

15. House Rules Committee, March 23, 2026

    From 0:35:39 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the original provisions of SB 395 would tighten coordination between the Department of Public Health and the Georgia Composite Medical Board on medical cannabis rules. The presenter offered substitute LC52-1100S, adding language from HB 154 to designate emergency medical services as an essential service. The presenter said the addition concerned eligibility for essential-service grants, not insurance payments or network status, and that the House had passed that language twice, nearly unanimously. In response to the chair, the presenter confirmed a connection to Rural Development Council work and said rural emergency medical services could become eligible for grants. The committee approved the substitute without stated opposition and later placed the substituted bill on the day's calendar, also without stated opposition.

16. House floor session, March 23, 2026 (legislative day 36, PM)

    From 0:25:23 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2980

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would let the Department of Public Health share medical cannabis registry information with the Georgia Composite Medical Board for investigations, compliance and discipline. The sponsor explained that privacy restrictions adopted when the registry moved between agencies had limited that sharing. The sponsor said the bill would also change physician reporting from twice yearly to annually and prevent patients from having to restart registration because a physician failed to report. An added section would designate emergency medical services as essential. The sponsor said that designation would help rural crews qualify for government grants without changing insurance payment requirements. No questions were asked. The House adopted the Rules Committee substitute and passed the bill 161 to 0.

17. Senate floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38)

    From 5:46:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 395 would address a communication gap by allowing the Department of Public Health to share medical cannabis registry information with the Georgia Composite Medical Board. The clerk described physician reporting provisions and restrictions on report use. The sponsor said the House added a provision making emergency medical services an essential healthcare service, which the sponsor supported. The clerk also identified an EMS interstate compact in the substitute. No substantive questions or opposition followed. The Senate agreed to the House substitute 46-0.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, January 14, 2026 (legislative day 3), 0:35:54
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 2, 2026 (legislative day 10), 0:26:35
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 9, 2026 (legislative day 15), 0:26:29
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 10, 2026 (legislative day 16), 0:26:00
• Read aloud: House floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24), 0:32:52
• Read aloud: House floor session, February 26, 2026 (legislative day 25, AM), 1:04:01
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 18, 2026 (legislative day 33), 0:53:01

Status timeline

Sponsors

Votes

Topics