A bill aimed at shutting down Georgia’s intoxicating hemp industry has stalled in the state’s House of Representatives, giving hemp entrepreneurs and businesses a reprieve for at least another year.
Senate Bill 254 (SB 254), which sought to ban any hemp-derived products containing THC, passed the Georgia Senate in early March with a 42-14 vote. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert, the measure aimed to curb the sale of high-potency hemp products, which he described as a public safety threat.
The proposed new law highlights a growing divide between legislators seeking to regulate the rapidly evolving hemp market and those advocating for its economic potential. It comes after a law took effect last autumn that limited sales of CBD and intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid products to those over 21.
‘Loaded guns’
“We are putting loaded guns in people’s hands in the form of a can, or a gummy, and we need to protect them,” Cowsert warned during debates over the bill. His concerns were echoed by other lawmakers who supported stricter regulation on hemp-based intoxicants, which have surged in availability since the federal government’s 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp derivatives.
The legislation, however, faced strong resistance in the House Regulated Industries Committee, chaired by Republican Rep. Alan Powell. The committee ultimately rejected Cowsert’s restrictions, opting for a drastically altered version.
Powell’s substitute amendment stripped away all proposed limitations on the hemp industry and proposed expanding the sale of hemp products to state-licensed package stores, where they are currently banned. The revised bill passed through the committee unanimously, signaling broad legislative support for maintaining the status quo.
Health concerns
Health advocates and policymakers, including members of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy, have raised concerns about the potential risks of unregulated hemp products, citing issues ranging from dependency to increased anxiety.
Despite the Senate’s push for tougher restrictions, Powell’s amendment effectively stalled any immediate crackdown, ensuring that Georgia’s hemp industry will continue operating under existing regulations for at least another year. Powell indicated that lawmakers will revisit the issue with further study over the summer.
States throughout the U.S. are working to get their arms around a runaway market for intoxicating hemp products – often called “diet weed,” “marijuana light,” or “gas station pot,” – after the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp federally but failed to anticipate the market for intoxicating downstream products that has developed in the intervening years.
Farm bill update coming
Regulators and health officials have been wary of the products since they started appearing at the end of the last decade. Nearly 8,000 people reported adverse effects after consuming products containing delta-8 THC or other intoxicating hemp compounds between 2021-2023, according to the national network of poison control centers.
As states are forced to take the lead in protecting consumers from unregulated intoxicating hemp products, the looming reauthorization of the U.S. Farm Bill could provide a federal solution to the issue. The bill is expected to include provisions that would clarify the legal status of hemp-derived cannabinoids, including those with psychoactive effects. Industry leaders are advocating for more uniform regulations across the country, hoping that federal action will resolve the confusion and inconsistency at the state level.
The proposed new law highlights a growing divide between legislators seeking to regulate the rapidly evolving hemp market and those advocating for its economic potential. Read More
