Barely a year after the legalization of hemp by the federal government with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, state lawmakers in Georgia are pushing to re-criminalize possession of small amounts of the plant. Under a bill approved on Tuesday by the Georgia House of Representatives’ Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, anyone possessing “green leafy” hemp or transporting hemp plants would be required to carry paperwork proving they are working for a licensed hemp business.

For decades, the University of Georgia has tested new varieties of cash crops and plants at a farm near Athens. This year, it added a new crop.

"This is industrial hemp," said Dr. Timothy Coolong, a horticulturalist who had been specializing in onions before he became Georgia’s trailblazer in the production of hemp. 

"I’m actually pretty pleased" with the production, he said, surveying the leafy rows of hemp.

Dr. Coolong nursed this field of hemp, plus others that spanned the state.  It’s a crop that was outlawed until earlier this year.  Lawmakers had been wary of hemp because it looks and smells identical to marijuana.

But it has an important distinction: Hemp has virtually none of the THC that makes marijuana a popular illegal recreational drug.

Aides to Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and House Speaker David Ralston haven’t said why there’s no members yet for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. But until they do, the expansion is effectively sidelined. 

Researchers at the University of Georgia will study the effects of legalized medical cannabis on those suffering from chronic pain thanks to a multi-million dollar grant.

The project, announced this week, will seek clarity on whether medical marijuana laws alter the health behaviors of people living with chronic pain and whether they substitute or reduce traditional pain treatments while using medical cannabis.

As anyone who works in the CBD or marijuana industry will tell you, the laws around cannabidiol can be quite confusing. That’s why it is perfectly understandable to have questions about CBD oil in Georgia. This article starts by explaining what CBD oil is. It also details what Georgian law says about it and where you can buy high-quality CBD Oil in Georgia. Keep reading to get started.

CBD Oil Defined

CBD (cannabidiol) is one of the more than a hundred compounds in hemp and marijuana plants. CBD is more plentiful in hemp, while tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is found in higher quantities in marijuana plants. THC is the compound that gets recreational users high.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has signed legislation into law to facilitate the licensed production and distribution of oils and other products containing limited amounts of plant-derived THC.

Recreational cannabis use remains illegal in 40 US states, writes Calvin Hughes. But not all jurisdictions enforce prohibition with the same zeal. Some areas are more ruthless than others. With that in mind, here are the top 5 counties that have the highest rates of marijuana arrests, according to FBI data from 2016.

Medical marijuana patients in Georgia could soon be able to legally purchase cannabis for the first time since medicinal use was legalized in 2015. When Georgia lawmakers okayed medical marijuana four years ago, they didn't approve the sale or cultivation of cannabis in the state, which left many patients in a lurch, writes Calvin Hughes.

This week the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill that would create a system for patients to purchase medical marijuana in the state. The legislation is expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp whenever it hits his desk, according to his spokesman.

Under the current system, medical marijuana is legal in Georgia, but patients have no legal methods available in the state to purchase it. Current state law prohibits the selling, buying, or transporting of cannabis. The bill passed by the Assembly, HB 324, would license private companies and universities to grow medical marijuana to be processed into low-THC cannabis oil.