Skip to main content

Crohn's Disease and cannabis in Georgia

The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Listed qualifying condition
✓ Yes
LEGAL
Up to 20 fluid ounces o…
POSSESSION
$25/yr
STATE FEE
1–14 d
TIMELINE
Listed qualifying condition. The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Georgia statute and program

The Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry is the operating authority for Georgia patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: O.C.G.A. § 16-12-200 et seq.: Low-THC Oil / Hope Act. The program portal is at Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry.

What the evidence says about cannabis and Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and malnutrition. The inflammation can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus, often in patchy distributions. Severity varies widely; some patients experience prolonged remissions on biologic therapy, while others require multiple surgeries.

For the full evidence base, including the NASEM tier, randomized trial summaries, and symptom-domain breakdown, read the mmjnow Crohn's Disease page.

How to qualify in Georgia

The Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry requires the following registration steps for a Crohn's Disease patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. Get a written physician certification under Haleigh’s Hope Act. A Georgia-licensed physician must certify the patient for one of the enumerated qualifying conditions under O.C.G.A. §31-2A-18 (cancer, ALS, seizure disorders, MS, Crohn’s, Parkinson’s, mitochondrial disease, sickle-cell disease, Tourette’s, autism, severe epidermolysis bullosa, peripheral neuropathy, terminal illness, severe or end-stage AIDS, Alzheimer’s, PTSD, intractable pain, and hospice-eligible patients). The physician submits the certification electronically to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
  2. Complete the Low-THC Oil Patient Registry application. After the physician submits the certification, the patient visits the closest Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) office or a county health department to complete the registration in person. The patient brings a Georgia driver license or state ID and the $25 application fee.
  3. Pay the $25 state fee and receive the Low-THC Oil Registry card. The biennial Low-THC Oil Registry Card fee is $25, paid by check or money order at the time of in-person registration. Caregivers are added for an additional $25 and must pass a state background check. The card is issued the same day in most cases.
  4. Purchase low-THC oil from a Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission dispensary. Georgia operates a low-THC-oil-only program (oil with no more than 5% THC). With the Low-THC Oil Registry card, patients may possess up to 20 fluid ounces of low-THC oil and purchase from the limited number of Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC) licensed dispensaries that launched in 2023. The program does not authorize flower, edibles, or vapor products and does not honor out-of-state medical cards.
State registration fee
$25
Physician visit (typical)
$125–$250
Certification to card
1–14 days
Out-of-state patients
Not eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

For full Georgia registration steps, fees, and reciprocity rules, see the Georgia cannabis-laws page.

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Crohn's Disease for the Georgia medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 K50.90 or SNOMED-CT 34000006 in the patient's record. The state registry does not itself collect ICD-10 codes in most programs, but the physician's chart is the audit trail if the certification is later reviewed.

Frequently asked questions

Does Georgia list Crohn's Disease as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

Yes. Georgia explicitly lists Crohn's Disease as a qualifying condition under Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry. A patient with a documented Crohn's Disease diagnosis can pursue state-program certification with a physician registered in the state. The qualifying-condition list is published by the state at https://gmcc.georgia.gov/ and may change as regulators add, remove, or refine entries. Inclusion on the list does not guarantee certification — a physician still has to evaluate the patient and decide that medical cannabis is appropriate for that specific case under Georgia rules.

How do I get a Georgia medical marijuana card for Crohn's Disease?

Step one is finding a physician licensed in Georgia who is registered with Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry and willing to evaluate Crohn's Disease cases. Step two is collecting your records (diagnosis documentation, treatment history, and the ICD-10 code your physician will use) and bringing them to the certification visit. Step three is the physician's certification through the state registry, followed by the patient registration application, state fee, and waiting period before the card is issued. Georgia does not honor out-of-state cards, so the certification process has to originate inside the state. The state minimum patient age is 18; minors generally require a parent or legal guardian to act as caregiver. The authoritative source for the current process is the Georgia Low-THC Oil Patient Registry site at https://gmcc.georgia.gov/; the state updates fees, forms, and physician registration rules periodically.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Crohn's Disease?

For Crohn's Disease, evidence is described as limited (a small number of supportive studies, often underpowered or focused on narrow symptom domains). The mmjnow condition page for Crohn's Disease lays out the current evidence base, including the citations underlying that evidence tier — typically the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus reports, federal agency guidance, and peer-reviewed reviews. Evidence quality is independent of state law: a state can list a condition for which evidence is limited, and a state can decline to list a condition for which evidence is strong. Patients deciding whether to pursue medical cannabis for Crohn's Disease should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Crohn's Disease and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Crohn's Disease; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. O.C.G.A. § 16-12-200 et seq.: Low-THC Oil / Hope Actaccessed May 15, 2026
  2. Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commissionaccessed May 15, 2026
  3. NORML: Georgia Laws & Penaltiesaccessed May 15, 2026
  4. O.C.G.A. §16-13-2: Possession of marijuana (less than 1 oz)accessed May 17, 2026
  5. O.C.G.A. §16-13-30: Sale, possession with intent, manufacture; penalty scheduleaccessed May 17, 2026
  6. Georgia General Assembly bill trackeraccessed May 17, 2026
  7. City of Atlanta — Cannabis Civil-Fine Ordinance (2017)accessed May 17, 2026
  8. City of Savannah — Cannabis Civil-Fine Ordinance (2018)accessed May 17, 2026
  9. Athens-Clarke County — Civil-Citation Program (2022)accessed May 17, 2026
  10. NASEM: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017)accessed May 15, 2026
  11. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation: Cannabis and IBDaccessed May 15, 2026