Medical Marijuana or Medical Cannabis, uses the marijuana plant or chemicals in it to treat diseases or conditions. It’s the same product as original marijuana, but it’s used for medical purposes. The marijuana plant has 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids.
The marijuana plant has a long history of medicinal use, dating back to thousands of centuries in many cultures worldwide. It is prescribed by physicians to their patients to treat different kinds of diseases and conditions. Here in this list, we are talking about how to get a medical marijuana card in Georgia.
The laws regarding medical marijuana in Georgia are not easy, as it has been deemed illegal for recreational use and medical use is only allowed in the form of cannabis oil containing less than 5% THC.
However, the Georgia Department of Public Health has released several conditions and rules as to who can get a card for medical marijuana in Georgia. In this article, we are stating down all the conditions and methods to get your medical marijuana card. After reading this, you will get all the answers related to getting a medical marijuana card in Georgia.
Why Do You Need A Card for Medical Marijuana?
A Georgia medical marijuana card confirms that your name has been added to the Georgia Medical Marijuana Registry by a licensed physician in the state of Georgia. Having a medical card protects you from any disgrace or difficulty related to the laws for medical marijuana, and if you are a patient or a caretaker of a patient you can easily and legally access up to 20 ounces of low THC medical cannabis oil.
Who Can Get a Card for Medical Marijuana?
If you want a medical marijuana card in Georgia, you must be of the age of 18 years or older than 18. You should have a qualifying medical condition (mentioned below) that proves that you are in dire need of medical marijuana. If you are a legal guardian of an adult with one of the eligible diseases then you also qualify for the medical marijuana card.
A parent of a minor child who qualifies for one of the mentioned diseases can get a medical marijuana card as well, but the child should be less than a year old. And last but not least you should have proof that you are a resident of Georgia state.
What Are the Conditions That Qualify for a Medical Marijuana Card?
The only condition that matters to receive a medical marijuana card, is that you should have a proper medical condition or possess one of the following diseases. The most prominent illness that qualifies to get a medical marijuana card is Cancer (start or end-stage).
Other diseases that follow are severe or end-stage Alzheimer’s disease, severe or end-stage AIDS, Seizure(including severe head injuries), Autism Spectrum disease, Mitochondrial disease, Intractable pain, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Crohn’s disease, severe or end-stage Sickle Cell disease, severe or end-stage Peripheral Neuropathy disease, Tourette Syndrome, severe or end-stage Parkinson’s disease, Multiple sclerosis disease, Epidermolysis bullosa, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Severe or end-stage ALS, Epilepsy or if the patient is in a hospice programme, either as an inpatient or outpatient.
What Is the Procedure to Get A Medical Marijuana Card?
The first and the foremost thing to obtain a card for medical marijuana is for you to find a doctor or a licensed physician, who can evaluate your condition and confirm that you need medical marijuana. Please keep in mind that you cannot get yourself evaluated by a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant, you have to visit a genuine physician.
You may also note that it is not very easy to find a doctor in Georgia who is well equipped to inform you about cannabis-based medication. Therefore, you may face some trouble in finding the right doctor for your health evaluation. Once you find the well qualified and well-informed doctor, you should get yourself evaluated based on your medical history, and if you qualify further for the medical marijuana card, you and your doctor will fill the necessary and proper paperwork that is required to submit to the Georgia Department of Public Health, which is the first one being Waiver which is signed by you and the doctor. And the second one is a physician certification form, which will be directly submitted to the Georgia Department of Public Health electronically by your physician.
After submitting the paperwork all you have to do is wait for a bit to get your approval from the Public Health Department. The approval can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and it is also estimated that you will get your card within 30 days of your form submission.
However, delays might occur in any medical approval, so in that case, you will have to be patient. And lastly, as soon as you are approved, you will have to go and collect the card from one of the 20 Department of Public Health Offices in Georgia, who will get in touch with you to inform you that the card is available. And Voila! Your medical marijuana card is made.
Where in Georgia Can You Purchase Marijuana?
Once you have got the recommendation from your doctor and an approved card of medical marijuana from the Public Health Department, you will be able to buy medical marijuana from any of the 30 licensed dispensaries or approved pharmacies in the state of Georgia.
Other Points to be Noted
The fee for the medical marijuana card in Georgia is $25, which you have to pay upon picking up the card from one of the Public Health Offices. The card is valid for two years from the date the card is issued.
Benefits of Medical Marijuana Card:
The benefits of a medical marijuana card in Georgia are numerous. Firstly, the only patients in Georgia who have been entered into the Low THC Oil registry can access the medical marijuana dispensaries located in the state. The most important benefits of having a medical marijuana card are that patients are legally able to access up to 20 ounces of Low THC Oil.
Citizens without a medical marijuana card caught with Cannabis oil may face legal problems and also penalties (fines). Having a medical marijuana card will also ensure that you have professional medical opinions from doctors and physicians regarding the use, dosage, strain and form of medical marijuana that may work best for you or your patient. This will help ensure that you are getting the best medical care under the supervision of professionals.
Obtaining a Medical Marijuana card in Georgia might slightly be a long and exhausting thing, but once you receive it, you will understand that it has several uses and can help you attain medical marijuana quite easily.