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Committee hears competing views on bill to regulate intoxicating cannabinoids including HHC
Summary
Senate Bill 33 drew extensive public testimony and Department of Agriculture input on whether to include synthesized cannabinoids such as HHC in the state's THC testing and enforcement program; supporters cited public-health risks, while industry speakers warned of economic harm and urged more targeted regulation.
The House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 33, a measure to expand the state's definition of “intoxicating cannabinoids” and to empower the Georgia Department of Agriculture to include additional compounds in required testing. Sponsors and department officials framed the bill as a consumer-safety measure; industry and business speakers raised concerns about economic impact and urged careful drafting.
Senator Kirkpatrick (sponsor) said the bill would add compounds such as hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) to the list of intoxicating cannabinoids and would allow the Department of Agriculture to designate other compounds to the total THC concentration tested under Georgia law. He said the measure is not a ban but is intended to protect consumers from synthesized cannabinoids and contaminated products that may include solvents, heavy metals or other contaminants.
Catherine Russell of the Georgia Department of Agriculture told the committee the department already enforces testing for hemp consumables under SB 494 and has expanded testing by regulation to include pesticides, mycotoxins, arsenic and other heavy metals. Russell said the department has authority under prior legislation to build out additional testing requirements and has been conducting inspections and removing products that fail standards.
Public testimony was sharply divided. Dr. Greg Raducah of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy and other public-health speakers warned that cannabinoids such as delta-8 and delta-10 can have high potency in some products and that federal gaps have allowed such products to be sold without age limits. They argued SB 33 would close regulatory loopholes and reduce youth access and emergency-room incidents.
Industry and business speakers, including Alan Hart (Classic Sativa) and Erin Jimenez (athens-based industry marketer), said the hemp industry supports testing and child-safety measures already enacted (they noted an age-21 restriction on hemp products implemented in a related bill) and warned that broad inclusion of cannabinoids would harm Georgia growers and businesses, driving sales out of state or online.
Speakers from agribusiness and faith-based groups also testified in favor of regulation. The committee paused the bill hearing due to time and indicated it would continue the SB 33 record at a later committee meeting to accommodate the number of witnesses on both sides.
