Products containing some varieties of hemp plants are routinely sold by health food stores in Georgia. Many consumers find these products help them relieve stress, sleep and manage health conditions.
However, the sale of hemp products is not without controversy. The current Georgia legislature is taking up a bill that could effectively stop the sale of most hemp products containing Delta-8 THC.
What is Delta-8 THC?
Delta-8 is a THC compound found in certain varieties of the hemp plant. Like the Delta-9 THC found in other hemp plant varieties, Delta-8 THC causes users to experience a high when consumed in large amounts.
Is Delta-8 legal?
Under federal law, it is legal to grow hemp plants that have minimal concentrations of Delta-9 THC. However, federal law makes no explicit mention of Delta-8 THC. This means that stores can technically sell hemp products containing the Delta-8 compound even in states where the sale and use of marijuana is illegal.
The future of Delta-8 in Georgia
One Georgia legislator has filed a bill that would effectively prohibit the sale of most Delta-8 products by removing all references to Delta-9 in state statutes.
Effectively, this means that products with any THC concentration would be subject to the same dosage requirements enumerated in state and federal law as Delta-9 products currently are. Products that do not meet these strict requirements could not be sold in the state.
As of now, the bill is awaiting passage by a committee and then must be passed by a majority vote in both the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. Following that, it must be signed into law by the Governor of Georgia.
So, there is still a long way to go should this bill eventually become law. It can undergo many amendments before reaching that point, or it could fail to be passed altogether. That means, for the time being, that products containing the Delta-8 compound can still be sold in Georgia.