--- title: House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, March 17, 2026 collection: meetings id: 2026-03-17/house-agriculture-and-consumer-affairs cite_as: House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, March 17, 2026, video https://vimeo.com/1174415424 (machine transcript by Georgia Commons) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-17/house-agriculture-and-consumer-affairs md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-17/house-agriculture-and-consumer-affairs.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-17/house-agriculture-and-consumer-affairs/text source_url: https://vimeo.com/1174415424 date: 2026-03-17 status: machine transcript corpus_version: meetings-2026-10-23-8c15ead0f18d license: Machine transcript and summaries by Georgia Commons from the General Assembly's public video; the video stays on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-17.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-17/house-technology-and-infrastructure-innovation.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-17/house-rules.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/index.md chamber: House body: House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee body_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/house-agriculture-and-consumer-affairs.md meeting_kind: committee session: 2025-2026 Regular Session start_time: 2026-03-17T10:30:00-04:00 location: 606 CLOB duration_seconds: 3466.0 video_id: 1174415424 video_title: 3.17.26 Agriculture & Consumer Affairs agenda_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Agriculture%2FAG & CA Meeting Notice- Tuesday, 3-17-26.pdf bills_discussed: - SB 33 summaries_model: gpt-6.1-sol transcript_turns: 226 --- # House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, March 17, 2026 House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee; March 17, 2026; 2025-2026 Regular Session. Video, on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/1174415424. Agenda: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Agriculture%2FAG & CA Meeting Notice- Tuesday, 3-17-26.pdf. > This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. ## Summary written by Georgia Commons Written by gpt-6.1-sol from the transcript below. It is not part of the record. Quote the transcript or the video, not the summary. The committee held a hearing on a new substitute for [SB 33](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb33), concerning consumable hemp products. The sponsor and chair described restrictions on synthetic cannabinoids and provisions intended to align Georgia rules with federal changes. Members questioned enforcement, testing and reliance on federal policy. Public witnesses described health concerns, defended existing regulations and warned of harm to hemp businesses and growth in illegal sales. No vote was taken. The chair adjourned with some witnesses still waiting to speak and said another meeting might be held. ## Bills discussed (1) Each account was written by gpt-6.1-sol from the stretch of the transcript it names. The bill's number is said in that stretch, unless it was the only bill on a committee's agenda. ### SB 33. "Georgia Hemp Farming Act"; total THC concentration of consumable hemp products; provide limits [SB 33](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb33) (2025-2026 Regular Session). From [0:03:46](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=226s), turns 5 to 224. The sponsor said the substitute sought to remove unsafe products and align state rules with federal changes. The sponsor relayed an emergency doctor's report of recurring accidental THC ingestion by children. The chair said the first part would prohibit synthetic cannabinoids while allowing plant-derived products, and the second would address federal changes. One member questioned acting before federal rules were settled; another raised concerns about surrendering state authority. Members also asked about testing delays, seizures and labeling. The Department of Agriculture's policy director said some violations could be identified without testing and described inspections, licensing and problems with mismatched batch-testing records. The chair said labeling requirements would not change. Another member recommended naming the U.S. Department of Agriculture specifically in the federal provisions. The policy director said express authority to obtain product-return records might require added language. Neither suggestion was adopted during the hearing. The Level Mind CBD owner warned that the limits would threaten even nonintoxicating products. A parent witness described a child's hallucinations and urged restrictions. The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores president argued that existing regulation should continue and warned of illegal markets. A Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy witness said current safeguards were failing families and supported federal alignment. A Hemp World business owner said synthetic restrictions would damage vape and pre-roll sales and requested further study. The committee took no vote. ## Transcript (226 turns) [0:01:59](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=119s) Emory, do you have some- [0:02:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=145s) Okay. Good morning. Uh, due to some, um, uh, conflicts and some, uh, schedules, we're gonna have to get going. I know some more folks wants to sign up. Uh, that's fine, y'all keep doing that. Uh, but I'm gonna try to call this meeting to order. Uh, Senator Kilpatrick's got a deadline too, and I ask my, um, um, uh, Representative, uh, Emory Dunahoo to say us a, a prayer this morning. [0:02:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=171s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning and we just ask for guidance. And, Lord, to, to open our minds to understand what we're about to pass or not pass, what we're hearing today, to be receptive. We pray, Heavenly Father, that you watch over our family as we're away. Protect them. Give us traveling mercies while we're here. All the things we look to, Lord, we pray that you give us wisdom. In Jesus' name, amen. [0:03:18](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=198s) Uh, thank you, Emory. And, um, I, I don't wanna g- g- go, uh, a missed opportunity to say, uh, how much you've meant to this, uh, committee. This, uh, won't be our last committee, but, uh, thank you for all your work and, uh, being on this committee, I think your whole career. And, uh, we will, uh, this committee, I'll miss you, and this committee will too. [0:03:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=220s) Thank you. [0:03:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=220s) Um, we've got one thing on agenda, one thing only this morning, that's H- uh, SB 33. Uh, in your packet committee, we have the latest and greatest sub, Senator Kilpatrick, uh, and us. I have, uh, and, uh, Leg Council Paul Higbill there has been working, uh, multiple times, uh, on this bill. So th- those of you in the audience, as well as our committee, uh, please pay attention to this newest, uh, sub. [0:04:11](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=251s) Uh, that is what we're gonna be discussing today, is, is considerably different, um, from, uh, SB 33 that was left over from last year. So any comments, uh, please, uh, um, make it relevant, uh, to the, uh, um, LC443531S that is in your packet. And so, um, with that, I'll ask, uh, Senator Kilpatrick, uh, if she could come to the, uh, table, table mic, if that's all right with you, and, uh, talk about this bill. [0:04:48](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=288s) Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, you guys have heard this bill before, and it's been going around for a couple of years. And the reason that I brought this bill to begin with is because we've got a lot of stuff being sold to the public that's not safe out in the gas stations and the convenience stores. And, uh, some of the things are, um, now banned at the federal level, but the enforcement of that does not start until this coming November. [0:05:21](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=321s) And so the bill is significantly different than where we started. And I think, Chairman Dickey, will walk you through this sub, 'cause I just got it, uh, just a little while ago. But the idea that he and I had been talking about with the Department of Agriculture is to try to get some of the products off the shelves that are not safe for consumers. That's one, the first part of the bill, and the second part of the bill is more of, uh, contingent on the federal bill and requiring our department at the state level to promulgate rules that are consistent with the rules at the federal level. [0:05:59](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=359s) So there's two different, uh, parts of the bill, and that's, uh, quite a bit different than what you had seen before. Um, one thing I did wanna just share, and that is in spite of all the information I've already given you about the FDA sending letters to companies and things like that, I had a, uh, emergency doctor who followed me around for a couple weeks, and she works at Grady in the emergency room. And she sent me an email that said, "On every nearly, nearly every shift, we evaluate young children who have unintentionally ingested THC-containing edibles, most often gummies belonging to a caregiver. [0:06:38](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=398s) These exposures are not rare. They're recurring. Clinically, this can lead to, uh, decr- decreased responsiveness, respiratory depression, sometimes requiring intubation in the intensive care unit. And these are all preventable injuries." So we already aren't, uh, selling this stuff to kids, right, under 21. We handled that with SB 494. But adults get these products that are not consistently tested, labeled, and so on, and they're making people sick. [0:07:12](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=432s) So with that, um, the committee substitute, again, just came out a little while ago, and I haven't thoroughly digested it yet, and I promise to do that, um, today before you guys actually vote on the bill. [0:07:26](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=446s) Okay. [0:07:27](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=447s) I have to run- [0:07:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=448s) Thank you [0:07:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=448s) ... off to a, uh, GDOT board meeting. [0:07:30](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=450s) Okay. Um, thank you, and I'll pick it up right here and, uh, talk to the committee a little bit, um, maybe go through this bill, uh, since I'm a little bit familiar with it, uh, as well. So thank you. Um, we'll be in touch. [0:07:46](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=466s) Okay. Thank you. [0:07:48](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=468s) Um, [0:07:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=471s) so- I'll, I'll cut right to the chase with, um, with the committee. The main thing this bill's, the bill has two parts to it. The first part is looking to, um, really prohibit these, uh, synthetic, um, uh, cana- cannabinoids, um, that, uh, a lot of the, uh, products are using, a lot of companies are using a, a way around, um, the hemp, uh, bill. And I, I'm not an expert on this, but if you look at section 1.1, uh, we're trying to talk about, uh, what is, uh, a consumable, uh, hemp, um, and, and trying to, um, a- allow products that derive from the hemp plant and prohibit those that were synthesized or ma- manufactured outside the plant. [0:08:46](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=526s) That's line 21. Um, and so we're trying to get back to something that was naturally produced from the cannabis plant, um, and, um, and, and do away with these synthetics. Um, you know, section 1.2, um, the c- the commissioner who I've worked, uh, Senator Kilpatrick and I have worked very close with the Department of Ag. Y'all have heard Commissioner Harper, uh, here before talking about his agency. They've been, uh, charged with regulating these products over the last year, and, uh, he is, his agency, in my opinion, has done a very good job getting, uh, these products and companies, uh, distributors, retailers, all, um, um, lined up, all, um, in, in, um, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? [0:09:39](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=579s) But the, they're all complying with, with the rules and regs, uh, pretty well. Of course, he's, uh, got agency and, uh, he needs, uh, much more, um, manpower to cover our big state. But, um, uh, he's getting these companies in compliance for what the present law is now, and I, I, I think we're making a lot of, a lot of progress. However, a lot of those products now are legal with these synthetics, uh, and, uh, that's what this bill will address to clamp down, uh, on the synthetics. [0:10:15](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=615s) Um, um, we've also, um, tried to work with the department, and, uh, we can ask Kathryn Russell's here for questions, um, but trying to make sure they have something that they can enforce. Uh, you know, it's, uh, one thing to pass some laws and another to try to, uh, have something that's enforceable, um, going forward, and that's what we're trying to thread a needle, uh, with this. And you can walk through, uh, these other, um, uh, lines on line th- on, on page three, uh, really, uh, some, some details about the final product in its package form, uh, that was in the original bill. [0:10:59](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=659s) Um, uh, consumable hemp products, uh, bear a sticker on, on line 57, um, and, and, uh, testing for how much THC. Um, s- um, um, and, uh, prohibiting, um, uh, y- line seven s- 77, otherwise not constitute a, a, constitute a consumable hemp product. Um, you know, uh, Paul has worked hard on this, uh, lead counsel trying to, um, w- align federal law with our s- our state law, uh, and, uh, keep it consistent, um, here. [0:11:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=700s) But that is, um, we have violations, section 1.5, um, uh, violations there, um, for the, the Georgia Department of Ag, uh, whoever, uh, uh, is enforcing this, uh, even local, I guess, uh, for those civil penalties, uh, for that. Uh, I do know the, uh, department is suspending people from the program if they find violations, uh, under current law. [0:12:11](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=731s) Uh, section two is what we're tr- uh, that Senator Kilpatrick, uh, was, um, uh, alluding to, uh, trying to line up, um, part two, I'm sorry, uh, align up with what, uh, is coming from federal, which may or may not change. I know there's lots of different opinions out there, um, about, uh, what will happen in the next few months as federal and, and your, um, thoughts are, are, are, are, are as good as mine. [0:12:42](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=762s) I, we don't know. But that is, that is what this, uh, part two is about, trying to, uh, line up, uh, Georgia law with what may come down from federal, and then give, uh, under section 2.2, um, the department time to implement Georgia law and regulations to align with that. So that's big picture. I know some others, uh, on the committee or in the audience, uh, uh, I know you haven't had time to study this bill. Sorry, uh, we just worked on it until, uh, late, uh, yesterday afternoon. [0:13:16](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=796s) Thank you, Paul, for a lot of hours on this, um, trying to, trying to get it to this point. And, uh, a- again, this is hearing. I love input. Uh, Senator Kilpatrick and I both would, uh, uh, uh, be open to any, um, uh, reasonable changes or, or details, uh, about this bill going forward. So I'll open it up for questions or comments, probably at this point since the senator has left, uh, about, um, about the bill. [0:13:47](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=827s) Uh, Chairman Camp. [0:13:50](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=830s) Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Uh, since- [0:13:54](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=834s) We don't know what the federal government's going to do on this at this point. Are we putting the cart before the horse on section two? Do we need to do something at this point, or should we wait for federal regulations to come out and then mirror whatever they are in our state law? [0:14:11](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=851s) It would be up to this committee. [0:14:18](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=858s) Um, Tyler, uh, Tyler Paul Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, I don't know if this was discussed, but on page seven, lines 150 through 152, I know that was contemplated in, uh, the expectation of federal rules, but Mr. Chairman, there's just a concern here that we're conceding state power under the 10th Amendment to the federal government. Mm-hmm. Uh, I've seen this in other committees, and we've had to catch that. [0:14:49](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=889s) So that was just a concern I saw right away, Mr. Chairman, that, you know, with subsection A, I think they could potentially, you know, [0:15:00](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=900s) you know, react to the federal government and their promulgation of whatever they decide, that they could enact that, you know, to a certain degree. Uh, obviously we're hamstrung by only being in session for 40 legislative days, which takes up three months out of the year, but that was just a issue I spotted that, you know, question of whether we wanted to concede that authority. [0:15:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=928s) Good point. Um, any other comments from the committee? We can take, uh, we can take some comments from the audience and, uh, and then come back. Um, um, Representative Reese. Yes, sir. Thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, and, and I know we're just getting this and, and trying to digest it. Uh, I'm, I'm con- questioning, I guess, operationally section 1.2, uh, line 25, where it starts talking about the commissioner or sheriff or a deputy sheriff or any other law enforcement officer. [0:16:01](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=961s) It says they are authorized to impound any hemp that has a total delta-9-THC concentration that exceeds the legal limit. I would assume that's gonna require some type of testing, and how is that testing gonna actually be carried out? Will law enforcement have something on site that instantly give results? Will it have to go to the labs? And currently looking at the current lab backups, I, I, I guess I'm, I'm getting to maybe we need to think more about this, about how we maybe have not get caught up in the bottleneck of enforcement because it seems to me this could lead to a lot of stuff being impounded and nothing really being prosecuted because of the testing law. [0:16:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1000s) Well, I think if you s- look over, um, this might not be the complete answer. Mm-hmm. Um, but they will have to have tags. They, they, they will have to have, uh, prior testing, and if these products are in, um, consume, uh, in a, in a consumable, uh, packaging does not have the proper bar scan that where it's been, um, tested and, and, and registered, then they would be in violation of that. Uh, so I, I, I don't, I don't foresee, uh- So we're looking more at packaging ... [0:17:12](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1032s) it, it would, it would be product th, th, in, in the packaging that is different from what the packaging says. I, um, and, but I think most of what you would find would be out-of-state things- Mm ... or products that were derived, uh, not from hemp, but from the synthetics. Yeah, uh, line 51, uh, is what, um, Chairman Meeks here was talking. Um, so, so tho- that kind of testing would be done ahead of time with, um- Okay. [0:17:44](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1064s) So, so that, uh, that is some clarity for me. So we're looking more at the packaging and less of what product it actually is, like when law enforcement's trying to determine- Well- ... right now what's the difference between marijuana and hemp when they pull somebody over. Well, the man, man- no, the, uh, manufacturers will have to get, uh, be compliant, uh, in their manufacturing process- Okay ... that's monitored by the department and, and the, um, packaging and that sort of thing. [0:18:12](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1092s) Um, Chairman Corbett. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, I think to, uh, Representative Reese's question, I think the bill that was passed a couple years ago dealt with, with, with that. It had to have, has to have a full panel analysis on each product, and it has to be from a lab, if I'm, uh, not mistaken, if, uh, Catherine, that is approved by the Department of Agriculture. So if they pick something up from a lab that's not been approved by them, then it's, it's, would be presumed it's, it's, it's illegal or, or ... Do we have someone in the Department of Ag that would address that? [0:18:44](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1124s) Uh, Catherine, would you? Here or would you like for me to sit? You might have to sit. Catherine Russell, Department of Ag. Hi. Good morning, everyone. Catherine Russell, Director of Policy with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. To address the question that has just been asked, I think that provision allows the department to seize noncompliant products. So it might be that the noncompliance is based on something we would have to test, but it might be that it's attractive to children, or it might be that someone is selling, um, and advertising it as marijuana bud, which is not, you know, you can facially tell is ... [0:19:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1165s) Or, or even if sometimes the things will even tell you what the components are, and if it's at too high of a THC level, then we can look at that and know without having to test it that it needs to come off the shelves. So until this point, we have not ... W- we just wanna make sure that we have all of the correct language in place and that we are doing everything by the book. And so that's just a, that's just a, a little provision that helps us do that. Yeah, I appreciate your answer, but I heard it was a lot about it. [0:19:53](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1193s) I, I knew it was gonna be. [0:19:57](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1197s) Um, Representative O'Steen. Catherine. [0:20:03](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1203s) Okay, Catherine, last and quick. [0:20:05](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1205s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Catherine, can you come back up here and let me ask a question? [0:20:09](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1209s) Yes, ma'am. [0:20:10](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1210s) I know very little about, about how this stuff gets brought in. How, how do, how does this stuff get brought into convenience stores? Is there a channel? Where is the guardrail set up between transporting to purchase? Where's the guardrail set up? [0:20:27](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1227s) So currently we have a five-tier system. The first two are grower, producer. Then you have what would be like the equivalent of a food manufacturer. We call them manufacturers. They're not making food. They'd be the equivalent of a food manufacturer. Then wholesale and then retail. So your retail stores are going to be purchasing from a licensed wholesaler, and both of those entities are responsible for con- making sure that what they provide is conforming, is a conforming product. [0:20:58](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1258s) And so if we were to find non-conforming product at any of those levels, we could either... Right now, what we've, the practice has been that we're making retailers dispose of any non-compliant product on their own, um, which they don't like to do, um, which we totally understand. Um, um, but so that's, that's kind of the flow, and we are checking in. We've got license requirements. They have to be registered with us, and we're, we're doing inspections at all of those levels. [0:21:32](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1292s) Can I follow up just real quick? [0:21:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1295s) Yeah. [0:21:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1295s) So now there are non-compliant products on the shelf. How did they get there if we've already got something set up, a guardrail set up? [0:21:47](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1307s) Well, currently the department isn't, w- we don't have the staff to inspect every product before it is purchased and is, gets into a warehouse or gets into a retailer, much like we don't have the staff to check every food item before it gets to grocery store. Um, but I can tell you that we've seen large shifts, um, in the marketplace based on our enforcement measures so far. So initially we were finding a lot of retailers were selling, um, essentially bud still, um, and a lot of it was marijuana. [0:22:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1345s) It wasn't even hemp. Um, so we started with those cases and then, um, we had some enforcement and then the market adjusted, and we didn't see that as much. And then we moved in and we started doing, um, some, some underage buy stings, and a couple of people got popped, and then we saw the market adjust, and that quit happening. And so currently the majority of our, um, what we're working on right now, the majority of the non-compliance issues that we're finding are, um, folks who are using a different COA, which is the, the testing material. [0:23:03](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1383s) You know, you could take your phone and you, you scan the QR code and it takes you to the test. We've seen some people that aren't linking the right COA per product. They're trying to, um, instead of testing per batch, they're trying to ha- have one test for multiple batches. So we're, we're seeing people move into a more and more compliant. We're able to kind of get down a little bit closer to the things that we, we feel like are making it safer. [0:23:33](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1413s) Um, Representative Cameron. [0:23:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1415s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, good morning, Catherine. Um, question, you know, a couple of years ago we had some meetings, um, where we discussed, you know, the infamous Rice Krispie treats and other things. Are, are providers or stores still spraying it or distributors spraying extracts, which we don't know the consistency of those extracts on products, and those products go into the marketplace? Is this- [0:24:02](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1442s) So the majority of the places where we were seeing that as a practice work with food- [0:24:06](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1446s) Okay [0:24:06](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1446s) ... which has never been legal but is being enforced now. [0:24:10](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1450s) Okay. [0:24:10](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1450s) And so what we're seeing, the products that are available, um, tend to have more of an oil base or some kind of emulsifying property, so like a gummy or, you know, like a vape. And so there's not a need to spray apply because, um, it's just part of the, it's part of the product. [0:24:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1468s) Okay. [0:24:29](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1469s) Um, so we're not, we're not, I am not aware that, that that is a continued, um, problem right now. I, I am sure that someone is doing something somewhere that I don't know about. [0:24:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1480s) Okay. [0:24:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1480s) Um, but, but that's the trend we're seeing. [0:24:42](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1482s) All right. Thank you. [0:24:44](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1484s) Senator Stinson. [0:24:46](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1486s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, Catherine. [0:24:48](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1488s) Good morning. [0:24:49](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1489s) Good morning. I'm not sure this is a question for you, but I'm gonna ask. As I review section two and look at lines, um, 51 all the way down to 63, I, I think about, um, [0:25:03](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1503s) someone driving along and get pulled over. Can- [0:25:07](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1507s) Can, can I actually look at a copy of the bill? [0:25:09](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1509s) Oh, you have it? [0:25:10](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1510s) Yes, ma'am. [0:25:11](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1511s) Okay. [0:25:11](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1511s) That would be helpful for me. [0:25:12](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1512s) Okay. [0:25:16](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1516s) Yeah. I'm, I'm just trying to, um, to understand how, kind of back to what Representative Reese had mentioned, someone get pulled over and they have a, a package in, in their possession in their vehicle. And are we saying that it has to have a certain type of label, uh, identifying that this is, uh, allowable, uh, hemp to be in their vehicles traveling along? I'm just thinking about sometimes when law enforcement pull people over and, um, you know, and, and they have certain items in their vehicles and, and I just wanna make sure that s- law enforcement is clear on what they're supposed to be, um, um, moving on toward arrest and, and what they are not to be doing. [0:26:04](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1564s) And, you know, with AI and all this other- High, uh, technology, people can make their own little s- uh, stickers to place on these packages. So how do we ensure that that doesn't happen as well? So that was just my thoughts after reading those two sections. [0:26:22](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1582s) Okay. [0:26:22](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1582s) Mm-hmm. [0:26:23](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1583s) So we're talking about line 51? [0:26:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1585s) Well- [0:26:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1585s) Is that what you're thinking? [0:26:26](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1586s) Section 2, as I read section 2- [0:26:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1588s) Section 2. Um, the big section [0:26:30](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1590s) ... right. And then when I look over on section, uh, in lines 51 down to 63, what speaks about the stickers approved by the department. [0:26:39](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1599s) Mm-hmm. Okay. [0:26:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1600s) Yeah. You know- [0:26:41](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1601s) So this is a, this is the, the current requirements. And of course, um, we can have labeling requirements that our, um, inspectors are checking at each point where we have access kind of in the, the economics of, of hemp products and their sales. Um, I suspect that there will be folks with an entrepreneurial spirit- [0:27:01](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1621s) Yes [0:27:02](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1622s) ... who would make their own stickers. Um- [0:27:03](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1623s) Right. That's what I was thinking about. They make all these pictures- [0:27:06](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1626s) Yeah [0:27:06](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1626s) ... with AI and all this stuff now, so yeah. [0:27:07](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1627s) I think, I think that that's, that's something that people probably could do. Um, you know, that's, that would be illegal. Um, and, and I, I don't think that we can s- stop people... Well, I, uh- [0:27:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1645s) R- Representative Stinson, this bill does not change- [0:27:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1648s) Okay [0:27:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1648s) ... any labeling, uh, information. So we- [0:27:31](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1651s) Okay [0:27:31](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1651s) ... we've got a lot of folks just tying up the talk. I'm gonna try to [0:27:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1655s) Okay. Sure [0:27:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1655s) ... get rid of them [0:27:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1655s) That helps. I appreciate it. [0:27:36](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1656s) But it really doesn't address or change anything with the labeling- [0:27:39](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1659s) Gotcha [0:27:39](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1659s) ... what we're doing now. [0:27:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1660s) All right, good. [0:27:41](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1661s) Um- [0:27:41](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1661s) Thank you. [0:27:42](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1662s) We- we- we'll, we'll take a couple more questions. Uh, Representative Carter, you got one question. [0:27:48](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1668s) Thank you, Chairman. Yes. [0:27:50](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1670s) Y'all all wanna talk to me. [0:27:50](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1670s) Of course. Please thank you. [0:27:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1671s) Okay. Yes, ma'am. [0:27:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1671s) Thank you. So my question, um, as it relates to, uh, the l- legislation around the, what is this, the Delta-9. Last year when we were addressing something similar, we were talking about the Delta-8, the Delta-9, and something with the farm bill. And you all were gonna go and do some studies. [0:28:09](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1689s) Mm-hmm. [0:28:10](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1690s) Based on what you all have learned between the last time we was here and today, have we addressed the concern with the, uh, manipulating of the TH Delta-9- [0:28:24](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1704s) So- [0:28:24](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1704s) ... in the lab, the lab work? [0:28:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1705s) I can appreciate your question. [0:28:27](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1707s) Okay. [0:28:27](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1707s) It, it is not a simple answer. [0:28:29](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1709s) Okay. [0:28:29](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1709s) Um, but I'm happy to provide some insight. One of the things that we were anticipating happening this summer, um, there was a blue ribbon commission that was tasked with, um, identifying and, um, some concerns in the marijuana and in the hemp industries. And the, the focus of the committee did not lean very heavily on hemp, and I think we were kind of hoping that we would have policy discussions about that, that, you know, there's a, these are big subject matters. You can't get to everything. [0:29:00](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1740s) Um, and so that kind of put us a, a little bit, um, in a different place than where we thought we were gonna be coming back into session. But in addition to that, um, th- these are not simple problems, and the reality is that everyone across the country is trying to figure out how to fix this. And at this point, there isn't anything that is a gold standard that everyone thinks works. So I would even submit to you that there are some real challenges with the language that the feds have adopted. [0:29:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1775s) Um, um, so, so I'm trying very hard to come up with a solution that will fix everything, but, uh, n- nobody else has either yet. So, um, that's just kind of where we are. But, but these are, these are complex, and there are a lot of people involved a- and we wanna treat everyone fairly. [0:29:57](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1797s) Chairman Meeks. [0:29:59](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1799s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And Catherine, thank you for being here today and the great work that you've, that you've done on this. One quick question, uh, and a couple comments. On sec- on page two, um, section 1-2, we talk about the commissioner, uh, and/or law enforcement being able to impound any hemp, uh, that exceeds the legal limit. Uh, understanding that there can be, uh, products on the shelf that may or may not be in compliance- [0:30:26](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1826s) Mm-hmm [0:30:27](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1827s) ... um, if the, if the permittee is unwilling to dispose of the hemp, is there authority within the Department of Agriculture to assu- to make sure that those products do come off the shelf and that they are then indeed returned to the manufacturer from which they were received? [0:30:45](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1845s) So that can be, um, a challenging scenario, which is part of the reason we did request this language- [0:30:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1851s) Okay [0:30:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1851s) ... 'cause we would like for it to be, um, very clear to everyone. And, um, and we would like to do it, l- like I said earlier, by the book, and make sure that all law enforcement agencies that are interested in participating, um, in enforcement can, can do so, and, and can do so under the laws that they m- generally operate at, or speaking about law enforcement. [0:31:13](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1873s) And this provision would give you the opportunity to request those records of that, of those products that have been returned to the manufacturer? [0:31:22](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1882s) I think we might need to add language for that. [0:31:24](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1884s) Okay. [0:31:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1885s) If it needs to be expres- if you want it to be s- stated expressly in code, we might need to do that. I'm not sure that we aren't already delegated the authority to, to do that under another code section. [0:31:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1900s) Okay. [0:31:41](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1901s) Um, but it doesn't exist, uh, right here with section 1.2. [0:31:45](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1905s) Okay. [0:31:46](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1906s) It's, it's definitely something I can look into, though. [0:31:47](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1907s) Okay. Thank you for that. And Mr. Chairman, just, uh, on, uh, in part three, uh, line 156, I would recommend that we, uh, change any federal agency or department to US Department of Agriculture, given that that is the agency that is, um, promulgating the rules and regulations that we are trying to work within as we, um, uh, a- amend legislation to, to deal with this industry. [0:32:16](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1936s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:32:20](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1940s) Um, uh, Representative Mathis. Yeah, just one note on the, uh, you said there was some sting actions that would go in and, and do it, and they dispose of it. I understand that the law enforcement can do some undercover, uh, surveillance. Go in, buy some, purchase it, test it, and then they can seize and charge. So that's another avenue they can keep up with. So that's a pretty good way to find out if there's something, uh, wrong. But I understand that's being done by law enforcement. I just wanted to interject that to Teddy's, uh- Yes, sir ... [0:32:52](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=1972s) point. So they are doing that, yeah. W- we do have a law enforcement division. Mm-hmm. Um, but o- one of the things that we're also trying ... We wanna make sure that, you know, in some of these instances, it's probably not appropriate for us to ... We don't wanna be too heavy-handed. We do want to continue to act like an agency and help people get into compliance. That's our- Mm-hmm ... first objective. Um, and so we kinda wear two hats that way. Also, this is not a department bill. I'm happy to answer questions, but, uh, just to clarify, this is not a department bill. [0:33:24](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2004s) Well, I do appreciate, uh, Kathryn coming here and answering questions. She's right. It's not a department bill. Um, and, uh, but s- uh, nobody, uh, understands more about, uh, some of these issues than her from, from, uh, way back. And, um, and, um, uh, yeah, and she is right. Um, our, our study committee this year really, uh, that Chairman, um, um, um- Newton ... Newton, uh, we really did not, uh, submit a report, um, and, and for recommendations, uh, on this subject. [0:33:59](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2039s) Um, so I was a little bit, um, disappointed in that, but, but that's why we got this bill, uh, one reason. So thank you, Kathryn. Uh, thank you for being a resource, uh, for me for this bill and, uh, and understanding, uh, a little bit, uh, about the department, how y'all would, um, be able to enforce and address, uh, some of these issues. So we've got 20 people, uh, signed up. If ... You're gonna have to be very quick. Um, and we got some for and against this bill, committee, so w- we'll, um, uh, try to mix it up a little bit. [0:34:34](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2074s) Um, uh, our first person, um, Shiloh Ba- uh, Biggles, um, right here. Uh, if you would, uh, give this committee your, uh, thoughts and, uh, tell, tell the committee who you are. Morning, everyone. My name is Shiloh Biggles, and I'm owner of Level Mind CBD in Suwannee. We were founded 11 years ago, and we've had a retail store for seven years. Before SB494 was in place, we were already 21 plus for any intoxicating molecules. I've had my hemp license since the beginning, following by all the rules that are required right now. [0:35:09](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2109s) Um, this, especially the sec- second section of this bill, would decimate the hemp industry in the State of Georgia. Having .4% any intoxicating molecule, which is in the bill, um, as it stands right now, most people would not even be selling CBD, CBG, or CBN. There's also a section at the beginning of that that lists CBG, CBN, which are non-intoxicating minor molecules found in the plant. Those non-intoxicating molecules are still listed on the total, total cannabinoid profile. [0:35:44](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2144s) Those are ones that we still want to keep. And the .4% in an entire container, you're talking about .4 milligrams in the container, less than a milligram of THC, when there are so many people who need one to 10 milligrams. We're capped at 10 milligrams. That's what we're providing. And to speak to the, um, woman that was here earlier who brought the bill forward, if there are children ending up in the emergency room from consuming this, that is on the parents and the people who purchased it. We're not selling to underage children. [0:36:15](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2175s) We haven't been. So this is the parents' responsibility, the same as your prescription medication and the same as your alcohol, because there are tons of alcohol poisonings in the emergency room from children and prescription medication. So this is not coming from the hemp side. We've done everything that we can to comply since 2024, and we're providing things that are actually helping people come off alcohol, come off prescription medication, and this is what we're here for. We've done everything as it's stated in SB494 and wanna keep it going. This bill, as it stands, would demolish the industry. [0:36:47](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2207s) Thank you. Uh, Mary Rovera. Is she ... How do you- Rovera. Rovera. Ro- morn- okay. [0:37:02](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2222s) Uh, good morning. I'm Marty Rovera, um, from Sugar Hill. Um, I come to you as a parent of a young person who, um, had a very difficult time with, um, intoxicating, um, hemp products, um, specifically Delta-8, Delta-9 products. Um, he ... It took our family through a very tumultuous time, um, and, uh, resulted in him having, um, hallucinations, complete personality change. [0:37:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2255s) Um, we're the lucky ones. Our son found sobriety and celebrated six years of sobriety in, um, in, on Friday. Uh, however, he is now a, um, addiction counselor who treats adolescents who are impacted by these products on a regular basis, and I get calls from parents. I am a parent coach, and I support parents whose children are impacted by these products. And these are mind-altering chemicals, um, to the detriment that, um, it's not just mind-altering, it's mind-damaging. [0:38:09](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2289s) It's brain-damaging, where these children are, and young adults, are in psychosis. And, um, it- [0:38:18](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2298s) are in psychosis for years, and some of them, um, aren't even coming out of it. So I'm adamant that these products are no longer available for adolescents, um, or young adults because it is damaging their, um, their developing brains. Thank you. [0:38:36](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2316s) Thank you. Um, I'd like to ask, uh, Angela Holland, uh, Convenience Stores if, uh... Thank you, Angela, to being in that committee. [0:38:48](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2328s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:38:49](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2329s) Thank you also for, uh, all you do in that ante room for us. Uh, but, um, I, I know these products, uh, uh, love to hear your, your comments about this. [0:39:01](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2341s) Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. I am Angela Holland, and I serve as the president of the Georgia Association of Convenience Stores. And we represent roughly a third of the convenience stores in the state, and our membership includes, um, multi-generational companies as well as larger corporations. So in the convenience store industry, my members ensure that adult age-gated products are delivered, stored, and sold sensitively and sensibly. [0:39:32](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2372s) My members know how to do this, and they do it well. We successfully age-verify alcohol, lottery, tobacco products, and we also ensure that sales tax are remitted. When my members own the store and a fuel distributorship, they also remit those excise taxes. So we safely deliver fuel and combustible products to the public, and we actually fuel the public in every sense of the word. [0:40:03](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2403s) Without having an opportunity to do a deep dive into the current bill before you, I'm commenting based on the previous bill and the comments that I have heard and the work that, that I have been able to be a part of the last few days w- and weeks. So we believe that this version has the effect of banning all consumable hemp products in the market. While well-intentioned, we believe that a ban would actually serve to increase the dangers for Georgians, remove the robust and growing part of the comp- economy, and punish the good actors. [0:40:42](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2442s) Ultimately, we'd like to ask that this Georgia legislature support the Department of Agriculture in its efforts to robustly implement the regulatory framework that the legislature only recently adopted. Change takes time, and they are doing an incredible job of moving this newly regulated industry into compliance. 13 months ago, this industry was completely unregulated. [0:41:13](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2473s) During the 2024 legislative session, Commissioner Harper and his team, with Katherine Russell, successfully working with you all to create a robust regulatory framework for hemp products. Justice Brandeis said in 1913, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant." He was advocating that transparency is the best for wrongdoing, and you all and the, and the department, recognizing that, chose to bring the entire industry to the light by requiring everyone in the hemp dem- industry, from growers to retailers, to be licensed. [0:41:55](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2515s) Knowing where the players are is critical to ensuring compliance with broader goals. You age restricted the products. You required retailers to post signage accordingly, regulated packaging to ensure products are not attractive to children, required QR codes and strict ingredient labeling, limited the amount of THC, created a thoughtful licensing structure, defined permitted and prohibited hemp products, created a required sampling testing program, and additionally, created a disposal process for non-compliant products. [0:42:35](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2555s) Most importantly, you created a program that the department can enforce. After the enactment of Senate Bill 494, the Department of Agriculture worked diligently, stringently, and thoroughly to craft the necessary regulations, and it was yeoman's work. And I wanna thank the department for consistently attending events in our industry in an effort to share information on hemp and how to stay in compliance and so forth in that, in that space. [0:43:08](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2588s) So not only did they institute a new program, establish rules and regs, and completed at least 1,100 inspections in the last 12 months, they created the best program in the country. Last year, I attended a national conference where a global convenience store member commented on stage in front of hundreds of people that Georgia has the most thorough regulations in the country. If we ban hemp in Georgia, I believe that we run the risk of creating the era of prohibition. [0:43:45](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2625s) We'd be taking these products out of the sunlight and instead putting them back into the shadows and creating black markets. We need to keep these regulations enforced to age-gate the products, check for ingredient compliance, test the products, and know where they are being sold and distributed. While there is a federal ban pending, there are efforts afoot to delay that ban in order to create a robust regulatory framework. [0:44:17](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2657s) Should it be delayed, and if we put our own ban in place, we will most assuredly experience a flood of black market products. Again, much like the era of prohibition. Currently, Indiana's fourth congressional district representative, Jim Baird, has drafted language that, if adopted, would push implementation out for two years while this $28 billion hemp industry adjusts. And yes, it will adjust, but it will not go away. [0:44:49](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2689s) Retailers belonging to my organization may stop selling it, but the bad actors will keep right on going. So if you don't take my word for it, Kathryn Neal Harris, Victoria Jutt, Lisa Pittman at Rush University's Baker Institute for Public Policy said, and I quote, "Prohibition would not succeed in eliminating the availability of these products or in protecting the public. Since no quality control exists for illegal produ- illegal drugs, placing hemp-derived cannabinoids in this category would exempt them from the very regulations needed to ensure their safety." Further reflecting, "Prohibition would cause the most law-abiding hemp manufacturers and retailers, those that are most likely to follow sa- stricter, stricter safety guidelines, to exit the market, leaving only less scrupulous actors to supply the demand." Bans don't work. [0:45:45](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2745s) They backfire. With good regulations, products would result... Without good reg- regulations, these products could result in what we saw in the 1920s. Last week, I heard several of you refer to the name of this committee as Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, with the emphasis on consumer affairs. From the agriculture perspective, I urge you to vote no on Senate Bill 33, if n- for nothing else, to simply help the 149 hemp farmers in this state and protect the nearly 150 million tax dollars that are generated by hemp in Georgia. [0:46:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2785s) Like many of you, I have to go to church on Sunday and explain why I testified in public on the ability to continue to sell hemp. Well, it'll either be sold legally or illegally, and a le- a legally regulated product is a far better option, and that's what I'm advocating for. So please consider voting no on this bill and preserving the current work of the department, and I'd be glad to take any questions or sit down. [0:46:54](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2814s) Thank you, Ms. Holland. I appreciate that. Very well said. Um, we're gon- we're, we're still, um, gonna try to get a few, might not get to everyone, but, uh, I'm, I'm gonna ask, uh, Michael Mumper, if he's here, to come, um, to, um, come speak. [0:47:14](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2834s) Thank you, Chairman, and thank you, representatives. I'm Michael Mumper with the Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy. We're a nonprofit organization. And what we're seeing now is we, uh, Georgia has well-intentioned tried to regulate hemp products. And for the last year or two, um, what we see is ongoing problems that, if you ask any school principal what's the number one problem in their schools, they'll probably say vaping. [0:47:47](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2867s) And kids may be vaping cigarettes. They may be vaping marijuana. They probably don't even know what they're vaping. And these kids are getting it at grocery stores, at, at convenience stores, at gas stations. The simpler we make this available product to kids, that's how they get it. Uh, despite all the well intentions of age-gating, kids know how to get it, and they know where to get it. Someone will sell it to them. [0:48:18](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2898s) Families, even families are buying these products for their kids thinking, "Oh, it's just marijuana. It's just hemp. Must be safe. It's legal." So they're buying it for their kids. So even the ki- even the parents don't know what they're necessarily buying. They're confused. They're so... For example, I bought these, um, in my hometown of Fayetteville, and, you know, this is a beverage, THC beverage. It's hemp, legally, but it's 10 milligrams of THC. And 10 milligrams, um, a new user will get high at 2.5 to 5, so one of these cans will definitely get the new user, a teenager, more than high if, a- and that's if they limited themselves to one. [0:49:00](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2940s) In the same BP gas station where I bought this, I bought this, and this is a, a vape product. It's got delta-8 in it, 64% delta-8. It doesn't have 10 milligrams of THC. It has 8,000 milligrams of THC. So our, our kids can find these products, and they are. And per Marty's talk earlier, some of these kids do not know what they're doing. They're ending up with psychosis, which can often turn into schizophrenia, lifetime schizophrenia. [0:49:37](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=2977s) We've one mother that, uh, we're associated with who her son hasn't left the home in four years because of all these phobias he has from vaping delta-8 products just one time. So the urgency is there. Our current attempts at regulating this hemp market are not working for so many families I'm talking with. Part of the issue is that it's really hard to enforce, to, Representative, it's, Representative Reese? Yes, um, and it is hard to enforce. [0:50:08](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3008s) And part of that problem is because of these synthetic products, but it's also because of non-alignment between the federal government and all the states. It creates a lot of confusion in the marketplace. Every state's different. There's no consistent messaging in the United States. Every other drug that's FDA-approved It's, it's got federal, uh, laws that everyone pretty much knows how harmful it is and what the risks are, and parents know what they're dealing with. [0:50:40](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3040s) With hemp, no one knows what they're doing. [0:50:43](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3043s) Okay. [0:50:44](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3044s) So what I want, what the argument I might wanna make is that Georgia does have a choice right now. The choice is to create more clarity in the marketplace, more c- more, um, um, stringent to choose to align with the federal law because it'll create nationwide and Georgia-specific clarity that law enforcement can follow, that parents can follow, and that kids will be aware of. Thank you very much. [0:51:15](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3075s) Thank you. Uh, we got time for a few more. Um, Jeff from Hemp World. Y- Yakiti. [0:51:22](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3082s) Hey. [0:51:22](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3082s) Is he here? [0:51:22](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3082s) Picking me, man. Thank you. [0:51:24](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3084s) Okay. [0:51:25](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3085s) Thank you. Thank you. [0:51:26](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3086s) Thought I'd hear from a business owner here. [0:51:28](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3088s) Yes, I'm excited to, excited to speak. I, I don't think I have as, as well-y, well-put-together things as everyone else, so I'll have to keep it a little shorter than that. Hello, everybody. Um, there was one thing that was said earlier by the gentleman on the left. I apologize for not remembering his, his name. There's been a lot of people that have spoke. But he had mentioned to, uh, concede- conceding authority, uh, to the federal government, and I would like to mention that, uh, we're not conceding authority if we already have one of the stricter and m- more successful hemp programs in the country. [0:52:04](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3124s) So I don't think we would be giving authority away. I feel like we have already handled our side, and we don't necessarily need to tackle every individual thing. I think we've done a really good job, as everyone has said, on being in charge and making sure that we, what, someone said 1,100, um, inspections over 365 days, or a little more, 13 months. That's really impressive, I feel like. Um, uh, I do have a couple of things to mention though. A- a- and when it comes to the, uh, study committee, when, when the study committee was done, uh, we actually found out that the medical marijuana needed to increase the limits. [0:52:45](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3165s) That's what happened after doing studying, after looking in it and talking about it. Then we ignored some of the hemp things, right? Didn't discuss it as much, and as a result of that, decided we should lower it. Um, I don't think anyone ever got any knowledge, understanding or, or explanation as to what happened, right? For, like, what we'd figured out or whether or not anything was or wasn't, uh, any- anything. I, I just know that how w- w- we sell it is all of these things are lesser versions, lighter versions of, uh, of Delta-9, yet we decided to increase the Delta-9. [0:53:29](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3209s) Um, just, I think that's a, it's just an odd thing I wanted to mention to maybe, for some people much smarter than me, to figure out why or what that means. Um, I just thought I'd do- [0:53:41](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3221s) Let me ask you- [0:53:42](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3222s) Oh [0:53:43](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3223s) ... um, how does this bill doing away with the syn- s- s- synthesized cannabinoids affect your, would affect your business? That's what this bill does, does away with the synthetics. [0:53:55](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3235s) W- Part of it, and the other part of it was that .4% for total, total thing, like the federal government part. So you- [0:54:01](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3241s) If- [0:54:01](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3241s) With the first part of it, it does- [0:54:02](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3242s) If it becomes law. [0:54:03](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3243s) Right. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So are you talking about the other ones, right? The, the synthetic ones? [0:54:08](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3248s) Yeah. [0:54:09](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3249s) Okay. Okay. [0:54:10](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3250s) That's what this, mainly what this bill addresses, the synthetics. So what would that do to products in your store? [0:54:16](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3256s) Oh, man. Well, what we've been able to do is, uh, obviously keep them low, but we've been able to kind of, like, design specific effects, uh, because everyone doesn't have the same issues, right? So if someone, uh, needed more help with focusing versus sleeping, they would naturally need some different help somewhere else. Um, but the main thing, the main thing would be things that have saved my business are things like pre-rolls and vaping products. And as you guys also figured out from the, the new bill that just passed, SB 220, uh, the delivery system changes how the milligram necessity works. [0:54:57](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3297s) So I believe you guys passed a total... Or maybe not you guys, I apologize, but the bill was passed for a total of 12,000 milligrams of, uh, uh, be able to have possession because of the way that vaping works. So if you guys were to... We, we already cannot have, because of how the law works, we already can't have vape products that have really any Delta-9 in them. Some of it gets left over, um, but, like, it's such an insignificant amount that it would basically just decimate the entire vape industry. And then along with that, with pre-rolls, we can't, you can't really have any kind of anything feeling-wise from it unless there's something in it, and you can't grow marijuana or hemp effectively to have such a little amount in it. [0:55:43](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3343s) And, and so h- getting rid of these synthetics would really hurt the ability to be in sides that have already kind of been hurt so much. Like, like, with the flower ban, the only thing that saved us was the ability to sell some pre-rolls. It's a giant chunk of our business that was gone, and the only way we can do that is if there's some other things in it that's not Delta-9 'cause you guys don't want that. Um, and- [0:56:07](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3367s) Okay. We're, we're, uh, we're going. Um, it's, uh, almost 11:30, and- [0:56:11](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3371s) Okay, no problem. No problem [0:56:12](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3372s) ... many of us have a, uh- [0:56:14](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3374s) If I could just, if I could just- [0:56:14](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3374s) ... 11:30 lunch meeting [0:56:15](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3375s) ... ask, ask one thing, ask one thing. My, my, my only ask is that we stick to the agreement, which was a comprehensive study to decide what these things do, how strong or not strong they are, and then create laws effectively, and accordingly, or r- regulation, I'm sorry, accordingly based on how each thing is. A gas station is allowed to sell fireball shots as long as it's a liqueur and not a liquor because we recognize that it's stronger, or the, the liquor is stronger, so they can sell a liqueur. [0:56:48](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3408s) That's, falls under the- [0:56:50](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3410s) Oh- okay [0:56:51](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3411s) ... you know what I mean? [0:56:52](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3412s) Thank you. [0:56:52](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3412s) So I just feel like based on the strength, it would be nice to have that. [0:56:54](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3414s) Okay. [0:56:55](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3415s) Thank you. [0:56:55](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3415s) Thank you. Um, committee, uh, we've got a, um, um, we're gonna adjourn here. Uh, those of you who came, I appreciate very much you taking the time to, um, come. I, I've got a whole list of folks, but I think the committee got a pretty good, um, view both sides. It's what I was trying to, um, to do. Um, and, um, we will, uh, look for another, uh, committee meeting, uh, possibly in the morning if we go forward, uh, with this. [0:57:27](https://vimeo.com/1174415424#t=3447s) Um, but anyway, um, without anything else, uh, I'll adjourn the meeting. Thank you.