Georgia medical cannabis certification, start to finish with one physician

Georgia runs its own medical cannabis program, and taking part in it is what makes possession lawful for a registered patient. It is not a general legalisation. On 1 July 2026 the program was renamed the Georgia Medical Cannabis Patient Registry, having previously been the Low THC Oil Registry, and the rules on what registered patients may hold were widened at the same time.

Dr. Forbes will explain how the current rules apply to your situation on your call.

These are two different clocks, and it is worth keeping them apart, because mixing them up is how people accidentally lapse.

Your card lasts five years. That is the credential Georgia issues, and the expiry date is printed on the front of it.

Your certification has to be renewed every year. Georgia requires a physician to submit an annual certification for each patient, and that certification is what keeps you eligible. So you see Dr. Forbes once a year, not once every five.

Texas works differently again: no card at all, and a prescription covers a 90-day supply with up to four refills. Texas sets no fixed renewal schedule in statute, but Dr. Forbes works on an annual cycle there too, so Texas patients also see her once a year.

Georgia charges $30 for the card itself, plus a $3.75 service fee if you pay through the state's online portal. Paying by money order avoids the service fee. That money goes to the state, not to this practice, and it is separate from the appointment fee.

Texas does not require patients to register or pay a state fee.

Yes, every year, and it is a requirement rather than a courtesy. Georgia requires a physician to submit a new certification for you annually. Without a current certification you are not eligible, even if the card in your wallet still shows a date years away. That annual visit is the renewal appointment.

Texas is annual in practice too. A prescription there covers a 90-day supply with up to four refills, and although Texas sets no fixed schedule in statute, Dr. Forbes works on an annual cycle in both states.

Because she sees every patient herself, your renewal is with the same physician who certified you in the first place.

Yes. Georgia licenses dispensing locations, and where patients can collect products is set by the state program.

This practice does not sell cannabis products, does not price them, and does not recommend or refer patients to any specific retailer. Dr. Forbes will explain how collection works so you know what to expect.

You talk with Dr. Forbes directly, by phone or by video, whichever you prefer. She reviews your health history, asks what you have already tried, answers your questions, and explains what the state program does and does not cover. It is a real medical appointment with a physician, not a form review.

Appointments run Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm Eastern, and same-day appointments are often available. The scheduler on this page shows Dr. Forbes's real availability, so what you see is genuinely open.

If you would rather sort it out by phone, call 770-341-5811.

A government-issued photo ID, a list of the medications you currently take, and any records or notes about the condition you want to discuss. If you have seen other physicians about it, their notes are useful. If you do not have paperwork, come anyway and bring your questions.

Then use the phone. Most of Dr. Forbes's patients do, and a phone appointment is a full appointment, not a lesser version of one.

If you do want to use video and something will not work, there is a support team behind the practice that helps patients with the technology and with questions about the state process. You will not be left staring at an error message.

No. Dr. Forbes sees patients across Georgia by telehealth, by phone or video, so there is no drive and no waiting room. Appointments are conducted remotely.