Georgia
Status: In Georgia, CBD oil derived from Hemp is legal for all individuals to possess, but CBD oil derived from Marijuana is only legal for medically qualified individuals to possess. It is illegal to sell or cultivate marijuana, but possession of marijuana is decriminalized.
| CBD Program | Medical Program | Recreational Program | Are Applications Open? |
| Legal | Not legal | Not legal | closed |
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Number of Georgia Licenses Available
| Dispensaries | Cultivation | Manufacturing/Processing | Transportation |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
You can read the full text of the Georgia law at:
Georgia CBD Program Guidelines
- The person possessing the oil must be registered with the Georgia Department of Public Health and must have a registration card on their person when possessing said oil.
- If the patient is under 18 years of age then the parent or guardian must possess a card designating them as the patient’s caregiver.
- The medical marijuana oil must contain no more than 5% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and it must contain an amount of CBD (cannabidiol) that is at least equal to the amount of THC.
- The low THC oil must be in a pharmaceutical container, and the label must clearly state the percentage of THC contained therein.
- The patient may possess no more than 20 fluid ounces of low THC oil.
The state of Georgia currently is not accepting applications for marijuana businesses. To get ahead of the game and prepare for your marijuana business, review the resources below.
RECOMMENDED GEORGIA MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR MARIJUANA BUSINESS APPLICATION:
- Georgia Marijuana Business Plan Package
- Business & Operations Plan Template
- Cultivation Plan Template
- Manufacturing/Processing Plan Template
- Environmental Plan Template
- Financial Plan Template
- Fire Safety Plan Template
- Inventory Control Plan Template
- Patient Education Plan Template
- Patient Recordkeeping Plan Template
- Product Safety Plan Template
- Security Plan Template
- Staffing Plan Template
- Suitability of Proposed Plan Template
- Transportation Plan Template
The History of Georgia Marijuana
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed HB1, otherwise known as Haleigh’s Hope Act into law on April 16, 2015, which allows for a limited amount of medical marijuana use (low-THC cannabidiol) for qualifying patients in the state. Unfortunately, production and dispensing of the cannabidiol is currently not allowed. State Rep. Allen Peake, who is largely responsible for Haleigh’s Hope Act, introduced a bill in 2016 that would have allowed for the growing and selling of medical marijuana in the state of Georgia, however, it was unsuccessful.
In 2017, Senate Bill 16 passed into law, expanding the use cases for acceptable medical marijuana usage in Georgia. SB 16 does not address how patients should obtain medical marijuana or provide any state system to dispense it.
In January 2018, a bipartisan sponsored bill entered the State Senate: Senate Bill 614, seeking to decriminalize marijuana for medical and recreational use within state lines.
The Joint Study Commission of Access to Low-THC Medical Oil (commission) held a series of public meetings during August – October 2018 in regards to improving access to cannabis oil that is currently legal for certain qualifying patients. In December, the commission submitted its final report and recommendations for establishing a state-regulating dispensing system to improve patient access to the low THC medical cannabis oil they qualify for. Among its recommendations, the report proposes to allow 10 grow licenses, 10 manufacturing licenses and an “adequate number” of dispensing licenses.
The commission will now work to introduce a bill which considers these recommendations and start its movement through the state legislative process when the legislature returns to session in January 2019. The year of 2019 could hold business licensing opportunities.
Regulating Department: Department of Public Health