Georgia Legalizes Medical Marijuana: A Roundup

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on April 17, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Just in time for 4/20, Georgia became the 24th state to legalize cannabis for medicinal use. But don't go investing in Funyuns stock just yet -- Georgia's law is fairly restrictive when it comes to what a medical marijuana patient can possess, and it doesn't address how they're supposed to get it at all.

Peach State residents with one of eight specified disorders may possess up to 20 ounces of cannabis oil containing no more than five percent THC. However, no cultivation of said oil is permitted in Georgia, so patients will have to leave the state, acquire it elsewhere, and return with it, presumably passing through one or more of Georgia's neighboring states, all of which currently prohibit any marijuana possession.

With the myriad complications of Georgia's new law, and the national pot holiday coming up next week, we thought it might help to (cough) clear the air (cough) about some other notions regarding medical marijuana.

First, the Bad News

Yes, your landlord can kick you out for growing medical marijuana. (You might want to actually read that lease you signed.)

Yes, you can get fired for using medical marijuana. (Yes, even with a prescription.)

No, you can't fly with medical marijuana. (Sorry, sick Georgians. Good luck with that.)

No, you can't mail medical marijuana, either. (Seriously, how are patients even going to get this stuff into Georgia?)

No, it's not yet legal to give it to your dog. (Also, you might want to consider the ethical implications of dosing a doggie who can't understand why he finds this cartoon so funny and already has an insatiable craving for peanut butter.)

Yes, federal agents can still arrest you for pot possession, even if your state legalizes medical marijuana. (Remember your civics lessons -- federal law always trumps state law, and any marijuana possession is still illegal at the federal level.)

Now, Some Good News

No, probation conditions or plea bargains can't keep you from using medical marijuana (in Arizona, anyway).

Yes, you can get reimbursed if the cops kill your legal medical marijuana plants. (Wow!)

Yes, you might be able to use workers' comp benefits for medical marijuana -- if you live in New Mexico. Elsewhere? Not so sure.

If you live in Georgia, or any other state whose medical marijuana laws precariously straddle the line between legal and illegal, you might want to ask an attorney what you can and can't do.

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