Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Georgia Medical Cannabis Card

“Autism spectrum disorder, when diagnosed for a patient at least 18 years of age, or severe autism when diagnosed under 18”

Qualifier to note: This condition carries an age qualifier. For a patient 18 or older, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is what the law names. For a patient under 18, the law requires severe autism specifically, and the documentation must reflect that severity.

Proof of a qualifying diagnosis is required. Certification is a clinical decision by the physician, and no outcome is promised. Certification is not a prescription.

Developmental pediatrics, psychology or psychiatry evaluation reports, including DSM-5 severity level where stated.

• Autism documentation comes from a developmental or psychological evaluation. For adults diagnosed in childhood, this is often an older report from a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist or school-based evaluation team. For adults diagnosed later in life, it is typically a psychological or psychiatric evaluation using structured instruments such as the ADOS-2 or ADI-R.
• For a patient under 18, the record must speak to severity, not just the diagnosis. Evaluations that document DSM-5 support levels — particularly level 2 or level 3 — or clinical language describing severe impairment carry that information. Individualized education program paperwork and school evaluations can support the picture but a clinical evaluation is the stronger document.

The process is the same for every qualifying diagnosis: you book and pay on the telehealth platform, complete your intake forms, and upload your diagnosis documentation and identification. Once that is complete your appointment is confirmed. You join by video, Dr. Shri Parimi verifies your identification and reviews your documentation and history with you, and makes a clinical decision. After a successful visit the State of Georgia emails you, you pay the state fee, and the card is mailed to you. See the six steps in detail or review the two separate fees.

Many patients do not have their documentation in hand, and that is workable. You can ask Dr. Shri Parimi to request records from your treating physician with your written permission, or bring what you already have — a discharge summary, a portal printout, a laboratory result — and discuss the rest at the visit. Proof of a qualifying diagnosis is required before any certification can be made, so the earlier you start gathering records, the smoother the visit.

• ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Cancer
• Epidermolysis Bullosa
• Hospice Care
• HIV, Stage III

See all 18 qualifying conditions