ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 494, a bill that allows Georgia to regulate hemp products sold in the state.
AgricultureCommissioner Tyler Harper said the bill makeschanges to the framework for hemp regulation in Georgia to allow the Georgia Department of Agriculture to have greater oversight and enforcement power.
The bill requires labeling, packaging and marketing requirements to protect children from misleading and dangerous marketing.
Hemp-infused edibles, drinks or gummies will need to be tested. Anyone under 21 can’t buy these products.
Joe Salome, co-owner and managing partner of The Georgia Hemp Company, worked on the bill. He feels regulation can help get rid of so-called bad actors. His stores already have a 21-and-up policy and their products followed federal guidelines.
“Our state judges said last year all of them are legal,” said Salome. “Our governor signed a bill saying it’s legal; we’re just ecstatic. There are going to be some products that we can no longer sell – foods and edibles, except for gummies, no longer smokables. And that’s a huge thing. Smokable flower being taken away is going to make the black market really hot the next year or so.”
The Georgia Medical Cannabis Society put out a statement that the law “casts a long shadow of operational and financial strain” on smaller businesses.
Most of the new rules start July 1. Others start Oct. 1. To see the full bill, click here.
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