{"id":86004,"date":"2026-05-12T14:58:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/georgia-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-by-allowing-vaping-and-adding-new-qualifying-conditions\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T19:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T03:46:14","slug":"georgia-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-by-allowing-vaping-and-adding-new-qualifying-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/georgia-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-by-allowing-vaping-and-adding-new-qualifying-conditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Governor Signs Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Access By Allowing Vaping And Adding New Qualifying Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-23.jpg\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\"> <\/p>\n<p>Georgia\u2019s governor has signed a bill to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/georgia-lawmakers-pass-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-sending-it-to-governors-desk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">expand medical marijuana access in the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>SB 220, which Gov. Brian Kemp (R) approved on Tuesday, will add new qualifying conditions for the program, allow patients to vaporize medical cannabis and change THC potency limits, among other reforms.<\/p>\n<p>Under the legislation, patients with lupus will be allowed to legally access medical marijuana, building on the state\u2019s current law that allows certain people with cancer, Parkinson\u2019s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer\u2019s disease, ALS, autism spectrum disorder, intractable pain and other conditions to qualify.<\/p>\n<p>The bill from Sen. Matt Brass (R) also removes the requirement for many conditions that the patient\u2019s status be severe or end-stage to be allowed to enter the medical cannabis program.<\/p>\n<p>The reform will also expand how patients can use medical marijuana. Until now, they have been able to access oils, tinctures, capsules, lozenges, topicals and transdermal patches\u2014but the new law will also allow vaping as delivery method for patients over 21 years of age, while continuing to prohibit smoking for all patients.<\/p>\n<p>The Putting Georgia\u2019s Patients First Act additionally replaces the current 5 percent THC potency cap for medical cannabis products with a limit of 12,000 milligrams of THC that a patient can possess at any one time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese changes, while meaningful to the affected patients, do not materially alter where Georgia sits in the national landscape on this issue,\u201d Kemp said in a signing statement. \u201cThis bill passed with a constitutional majority in both chambers of the General Assembly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI, like many of those who expressed opposition to this bill, have reservations about the legalization of recreational cannabis. Many states that have legalized recreational cannabis have come to regret that decision,\u201d he said. \u201cI also recognize that for some patients, medical cannabis provides significant relief to symptoms that would otherwise go untreated or would be treated with even more harmful opioids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not believe that a well-implemented medical cannabis program must inevitably lead to the legalization of recreational use in Georgia, nor is the question of recreational use anywhere in the bill on my desk for signature,\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/70559\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bill<\/a> also replaces references to \u201clow THC oil\u201d in current law with \u201cmedical cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014<br \/>\nMarijuana Moment is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9128 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-22.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Learn more about our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.<br \/>\n\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, which oversees the program, will get a new duty of conducting public awareness activities about \u201ceffective uses of medical cannabis and products, including, but not limited to, publishing materials and conducting outreach and public education activities to inform members of the public, law enforcement, and healthcare providers about the medical cannabis program in this state and the potential benefits that medical cannabis and products may have to eligible patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last year, House leaders created a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/georgia-lawmakers-launch-study-of-medical-marijuana-and-hemp-policies-to-prepare-for-2026-session\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Georgia\u2019s Medical Marijuana and Hemp Policies<\/a> to examine the state\u2019s cannabis laws.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers in Georgia have also considered legislation to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/georgia-senate-committee-recommends-5-million-investment-to-research-psychedelic-assisted-therapy-for-ptsd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">support research on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/georgia-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-by-allowing-vaping-and-adding-new-qualifying-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Georgia Governor Signs Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Access By Allowing Vaping And Adding New Qualifying Conditions<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nRead More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/georgia-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-by-allowing-vaping-and-adding-new-qualifying-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Georgia Governor Signs Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Access By Allowing Vaping And Adding New Qualifying Conditions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Georgia\u2019s governor has signed a bill to expand medical marijuana access in the state. SB 220, which Gov. Brian Kemp (R) approved on Tuesday, will add new qualifying conditions for the program, allow patients to vaporize medical cannabis and change THC potency limits, among other reforms. Under the legislation, patients<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/georgia-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-by-allowing-vaping-and-adding-new-qualifying-conditions\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":86005,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86004"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86004"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86006,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86004\/revisions\/86006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}