This year, the Georgia General Assembly and Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed SB 220 into law, which makes some changes to the state’s current regulations surrounding the use of medical cannabis. Keep scrolling to learn exactly what’s going on and changing beginning July 1st, 2026.
What is SB 220?
SB 220, or the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act” is a bill that changes some of the regulations the state of Georgia has surrounding medical cannabis.
According to the Georgia General Assembly’s ‘first reader’ summary, this bill is:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend various provisions of the O.C.G.A., so as to rename low THC oil as medical cannabis; to amend Chapter 12 of Title 16, Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 16, and Article 1 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the O.C.G.A., relating to offenses against the public health and morals, regulation of controlled substances, and general provisions relative to the Department of Public Health, respectively, so as to clarify and revise criminal penalties; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Okay… what does that mean?
Don’t speak legal jargon? Don’t worry! We’re here to break it down for ya.
This new law does a lot of things, but most importantly, it removes the former rule that caps THC potency on medical products at 5%. That means that patients can now possess “up to 12,000 milligrams of medical cannabis if it is kept in labeled pharmaceutical containers,” according to CBS Atlanta.
The bill also expands the types of cannabis products that dispensaries can sell to include gummies, edibles, and vaporized flower.
The registry for medical cannabis will also include more conditions, including:
- Stage III HIV
- lupus
- autism
- severe Alzheimer’s disease
- inflammatory bowel disease
- Sickle cell (no longer needs to be “diagnosed as severe or end stage”)
- Tourette’s( no longer needs to be diagnosed as “severe”)
And, patients who have incurable or irreversible conditions not have to certify every year anymore.
If you still have questions, you can head to the Georgia General Assembly’s website to learn more!