Georgia

The Georgia House passed a measure this week to increase the number of medical cannabis production licenses in the state.

A judge in Georgia has halted the production of medical cannabis following legal protests against the process that awarded the two licenses.

The Georgia Commission for Access to Medical Cannabis recently awarded two cannabis industry licenses following delays due to claims that the selection process was unfair and arbitrary.

The city of Stonecrest, Georgia voted to decriminalize the possession of an ounce or less of cannabis, eschewing jail time for fines of $100.

Commissioners in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia approved an ordinance to reduce the penalty for possession of less than an ounce of cannabis to a $35 fine, the lowest in the state.

Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones said she will no longer prosecute cannabis possession cases dealing with less than one ounce or test small amounts of cannabis unless other felony charges are involved.

Georgia Democrats supported the state’s non-binding adult-use question on the midterm primary ballots with 80% in favor and 20% opposed.

Cumberland Curative, a medical cannabis company, has filed suit against the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission alleging a conflict of interests in the scoring of state license applications.

Police agencies in Georgia are returning the THC/CBD products and cash seized during recent raids after a legal challenge proved law enforcement didn’t understand the state’s hemp law.

A 30-day restraining order issued by a judge in Fulton County, Georgia prohibits Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gaston from prosecuting people for possessing or selling synthetic cannabinoids.

Several Georgia-based retailers of delta-8 THC products have filed suit against Gwinnett County, Georgia following a series of allegedly unwarranted and illegal law enforcement actions.

Six medical cannabis cultivators who received licenses from the state eight months ago are being prevented from launching their cannabis grows due to lawsuits by companies that were not chosen for a license.

The City Council of Tybee Island, Georgia voted to reduce the penalty for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis to a $150 fine.

Trulieve GA Inc. and Biomedical Sciences LLC were awarded the two Class 1 licenses to produce low-THC medical cannabis oil for Georgia’s medical cannabis program.

Georgia has selected six companies to produce and distribute low-THC cannabis oil, a crucial step toward a product pipeline for the state’s medical cannabis patients.

Medical cannabis proponents in Georgia are awaiting the governor’s signature on a recent bill to license new medical cannabis manufacturers and allow dispensaries to sell low-THC oils in the state.

Following narrow victories by Georgia’s two Democratic candidates for the Senate during this week’s runoff election, Democrats are expected to take control of the U.S. Senate in 2021, opening up the MORE Act and other federal cannabis bills to a vote.

Canada’s Aphria Inc. is purchasing SweetWater Brewing Co. — based in Atlanta, Georgia — for approximately USD $300 million.

The USDA approved state hemp program plans for Georgia and South Carolina this week.

A proposal in Georgia would require anyone carrying or transporting hemp to be carrying proper paperwork or face potential arrest and jail time for cannabis possession.

Georgia’s medical cannabis program appears to be stalling as the governor and legislative leaders have not yet appointed a commission overseeing the program’s expansion.

Following hemp’s legalization in the state, law enforcement offices around Georgia are beginning to suspend low-level cannabis enforcement — the latest is the Cobb County, Georgia police force.

Following the legalization of industrial hemp in Georgia, officials in Gwinnett County have announced they will no longer prosecute or make arrests for misdemeanor cannabis cases.