Senate committee advances bill to expand medical cannabis options, including higher THC cap and vaping

Senate Bill 220, which would expand Georgia's medical cannabis program by raising the allowable THC concentration for medical products and permitting certain inhalation (vaping) delivery systems, won a due-pass recommendation from the Senate Regulated Industries Committee after extended testimony and debate.

The measure, presented to the committee by Senator Brass, would amend existing medical cannabis rules that currently cap many products at 5 percent THC. Brass told the committee the bill also makes several other changes, including adding lupus to the list of qualifying conditions, replacing “end-stage” language for many conditions with a standard that the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks, and adding vaping as an authorized delivery method for patients who need faster onset of relief.

The bill matters to patients who testified that inhalation and higher-potency products provide faster or more effective relief than current low-percentage oil products, and to clinicians and addiction experts who warned higher-potency THC concentrates can pose risks—particularly to adolescents. Committee members heard roughly two dozen witnesses, including patients, parents of affected young people, clinicians and advocacy organizations, before taking final action.

Senator Brass summarized the bill to the committee as “quite simple” and described its main elements as raising the THC cap from 5 percent to a higher level used in other medical-only states, adding vaping as a delivery option, and changing the statutory language describing qualifying conditions. Brass also said the Department of Public Health and the Composite Medical Board had participated in drafting recommendations on the conditions list.

Supporters described patient access concerns in…