Georgia lawmakers are planning to expand the availability of THC drinks by allowing sales in liquor stores, a reversal from a previous proposal that would have prohibited hemp-based beverages.
The bill advancing through the General Assembly would grow THC drink sales beyond existing retail locations at licensed CBD and convenience stores.
A House committee voted unanimously to pass the amended bill Thursday, moving it toward final votes next week.
“If there’s any place that should have the right to sell these products, it should be package stores because they check IDs,” said House Regulated Industries Chairman Alan Powell, a Republican from Hartwell. “Younger people want something else (besides alcohol). They don’t want the headaches. They don’t want the hangovers.”
Before it was changed Thursday, Senate Bill 254 would have banned THC-infused drinks, a relatively new product offered at hemp businesses and convenience stores across the state.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Georgia has over 4,100 licensed hemp retailers and companies, some of whom worried that the prior version of the legislation would have forced them out of business.
Chad Paydo, co-CEO of Sunmed|Your CBD Store, said he worried that Georgia legislators were going to over-regulate hemp products or restrict them to alcohol businesses. The company has 33 stores in Georgia.
“Obviously it’s a big relief,” Paydo said. “We support regulations that control it and doesn’t (allow it to) exceed a high intoxicating limit.”
THC drinks, delta-8 gummies and CBD products have been legal since Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill, which allowed hemp products as long as they have less than 0.3% delta-9 THC, the compound in marijuana that produces a high.
Recreational marijuana, which has higher THC levels, remains illegal under federal and Georgia law.
Under a state law passed last year, Georgia regulated hemp products and beverages by limiting sales to consumers over 21, mandating product testing and banning smokable products.
Legislators said they were concerned that some businesses might not be enforcing age limits for hemp products.
Two other hemp-related bills stalled and appear unlikely to pass the General Assembly before this year’s legislative session ends April 4.
One bill would have restricted delta-8 THC gummies by capping their total THC content. Another would have increased the maximum amount of delta-9 THC in medical marijuana from 5% to 50%.
Neither bill received a hearing in the House after passing the Senate.
Under the surviving bill, SB 254, licensed alcohol retailers would be allowed to obtain hemp licenses and then offer consumable hemp products, including THC-laced drinks, for sale to consumers.
The bill could be scheduled for a vote in the House next week, and if it passes, the Senate would decide whether to agree to the changes and send the bill to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto.
Moving forward, Powell said he wants to convene a study committee to evaluate hemp product safety and taxation beyond existing hemp license fees.
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