Panel hears expanded medical cannabis bill that would raise THC cap and allow inhalable delivery

Senate Bill 220, a proposal to change Georgia's low-THC oil program into a broader "medical cannabis" framework and to raise the allowable THC potency from 5 percent to 50 percent, drew extended testimony and debate before the committee but received no final vote.

Proponents said the changes are intended to improve clinical options for patients and to bring Georgia more in line with other medical-only states. "We're asking ... to allow the folks that qualify in this state to have the right amount that helps their disease," former state representative Micah Gravely told the committee, recounting patients who had benefited in other states. Attorney Edward Lindsey, representing an industry license holder, summarized technical changes, saying the bill "changes the term in section 2 ... from low THC oil ... to medical cannabis" and noted the proposal would raise the program's potency cap and alter possession limits.

Supporters said the measure also would permit an inhalable delivery method (commonly described as vaped or inhalable oil) so patients who need rapid relief'for example, some seizure disorders'can obtain medicine that acts faster than oral formulations. Senator Brass, the bill's sponsor, said the policy changes follow a multi-year review and a listening tour that included patients, physicians and state boards. "That letter was in support of medical cannabis for MS patients," Brass said, explaining personal motivations for sponsoring the bill.

Why it matters: The bill would materially change Georgia's tightly constrained low-THC program by increasing potency and widening the delivery methods available to patients. Supporters argued those changes respond to patient needs documented in other states and by the commission that oversees the program. Opponents and some committee members raised concerns about public safety, youth exposure and the lack of federal research because cannabis remains a Schedule I drug.

Key provisions and debate: The draft committee substitute (LC 33 97 99 S) would: - Redefine the program name and statutory definitions from "low THC oil" to "medical cannabis." - Raise the THC cap from 5 percent to 50 percent for licensed products. - Change possession limits (the draft replaces a 20-fluid-ounce measure with a 2-ounce possession limit or an equivalent measure in non-liquid forms). - Remove many "severe or end-stage" qualifiers from condition eligibility, replacing them with a broader statutory test that a patient's symptoms "can reasonably be expected to be relieved by the use of medical cannabis and the potential benefits ... outweigh the potential health risks." - Allow inhalable delivery systems (vaping) for medical use while keeping the program limited to registered patients and licensed manufacturers/distributors.

Committee members pressed authors on clinical safeguards, age limits and tracking. Several asked whether the 50 percent cap was evidence-based; Brass acknowledged the level was in part a political compromise and said clinical evidence is limited in the U.S. because of federal scheduling, relying instead on patient reports and experience from other states. Micah Gravely and other witnesses described cases where higher-potency products produced meaningful clinical benefit for individual patients.

Process and next steps: The committee heard proponent testimony from industry and patient advocates, then recessed and later reconvened. No committee vote was taken on final passage. The chair said the committee would continue work in a subsequent meeting to refine language and address members' concerns, including public-use restrictions, supply-chain tracking and age-related safeguards.

Ending note: Committee members repeatedly framed the bill as medical, not recreational, and requested additional technical briefings and documentation from the commission and other stakeholders before any final committee action.