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Committee OKs limits on THC content in hemp products; Department of Agriculture testing capacity cited
Summary
Senate Bill 254, which proposes numerical limits on total THC in consumable hemp products (including gummies, beverages and topicals) and codifies rules for testing multiple THC isomers, passed the committee after sponsor testimony and a multi-stakeholder hearing.
A Georgia Senate committee voted to pass Senate Bill 254, a measure that would codify numerical limits for total THC in various classes of hemp-derived consumer products and clarify that multiple THC isomers (for example, delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10) fall under the statutory limits.
Sponsor Sen. Summers said the bill builds on Department of Agriculture rules and would set per-serving and per-container caps for commonly sold product types: 10 milligrams of total THC per serving for gummies (with a per-package cap referenced in testimony at 150–300 milligrams), beverages capped at 5 milligrams of total THC per 12-ounce container (the department's earlier rule had allowed 10 mg per 12 oz), and limits on tinctures and topicals (a codified 1 milligram per milliliter cap for certain topicals and 1,000 mg total per container were discussed as consistent with department practice).
Catherine Ross (Department of Agriculture) told the committee the department's Certificate of Analysis (COA) testing requirements already include delta-8 and delta-10 alongside delta-9 and that the agency can perform the testing; she also noted that enforcement and testing impose costs and said that additional funding to the department would be needed to scale enforcement. "Our rules currently require that any COA test for a number of things beyond delta 9, and delta 8 and delta 10 are both currently on that list," Ross said in committee testimony.
Industry and advocacy witnesses expressed divergent views. Greg Raducah of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy supported the bill and urged clear, product-specific weight/volume limits to prevent unregulated vape/e-liquid products from slipping through. Ashlyn Swan of SunMed CBD, which sells CBD products, opposed tighter limits and warned the bill could push consumers to an unregulated market and harm farmers and small businesses; she also disputed some broad safety characterizations made in opposition testimony. Mike Griffin (Georgia Baptist Mission Board) supported regulation and urged caution over public-health impacts.
Committee action: A motion to pass was made (mover identified in the transcript as Senator Ginn) and seconded by the Majority Leader; the committee voted in favor and the chair announced the motion carried. The transcript records committee discussion about aligning statutory caps with Department of Agriculture rules and about enforcement funding.
Why this matters: Lawmakers said the bill aims to standardize how total THC is calculated and limited across product types and to ensure labs test for multiple THC isomers, limiting highly intoxicating products on store shelves while preserving legitimate hemp markets. Department officials testified they can test for the listed isomers but that enforcement will require funding.
