| 6 | 5 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 7 | 6 | | Creating the Senate Study Committee on Intoxicating Cannabinoids in Consumable Hemp |
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| 8 | 7 | | 1 |
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| 9 | 8 | | Products; and for other purposes.2 |
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| 10 | 9 | | WHEREAS, in 2018, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Agriculture3 |
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| 11 | 10 | | Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334 (2018 Farm Bill), which authorized the4 |
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| 12 | 11 | | production of hemp and removed hemp from the federal schedule of controlled substances;5 |
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| 13 | 12 | | and6 |
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| 14 | 13 | | WHEREAS, through the Georgia Hemp Farming Act, approved May 10, 2019 (Ga. L. 2019,7 |
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| 15 | 14 | | p. 1030), the General Assembly authorized the production of hemp in Georgia in accordance8 |
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| 16 | 15 | | with the federal 2018 Farm Bill; and9 |
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| 17 | 16 | | WHEREAS, the definition of hemp in the federal 2018 Farm Bill and the Georgia Hemp10 |
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| 18 | 17 | | Farming Act limits the amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) that may be11 |
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| 19 | 18 | | present in hemp, but neither Act provides limits on other isomers of delta-9-THC or other12 |
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| 20 | 19 | | cannabinoids; and13 |
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| 21 | 20 | | WHEREAS, by an Act of the General Assembly, approved April 30, 2024 (Ga. L. 2024,14 |
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| 22 | 21 | | p. 455), the General Assembly provided regulations on the production and sale of15 |
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| 23 | 22 | | S. R. 427 |
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| 24 | 23 | | - 1 - 25 LC 55 0616 |
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| 25 | 24 | | consumable hemp products, but did not provide restrictions on isomers of delta-9-THC or |
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| 26 | 25 | | 16 |
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| 27 | 26 | | other potentially intoxicating cannabinoids; and17 |
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| 28 | 27 | | WHEREAS, since passage of the 2018 Farm Bill and the Georgia Hemp Farming Act, it has18 |
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| 29 | 28 | | been discovered that many other substances derived from the cannabis plant beyond19 |
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| 30 | 29 | | delta-9-THC may be intoxicating and may have serious side effects. Such substances20 |
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| 31 | 30 | | include, but are not limited to, delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC),21 |
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| 32 | 31 | | delta-10-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-10-THC), delta-11-tetrahydrocannabinol22 |
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| 33 | 32 | | (delta-11-THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), exo-tetrahydrocannabinol (exo-THC),23 |
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| 34 | 33 | | THC-O-acetate (THC-OA), THC-O-phosphate (THC-O), tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP),24 |
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| 35 | 34 | | tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), tetrahydrocannabihexol (THCH), tetrahydrocannabioctyl25 |
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| 36 | 35 | | (THCJD), tetrahydrocannabutol (THCB), cannabinol (CBN), and hexahydrocannabinol26 |
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| 37 | 36 | | (HHC); and27 |
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| 38 | 37 | | WHEREAS, the lack of restrictions on such substances have led to intoxicating and28 |
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| 39 | 38 | | potentially dangerous consumable hemp products being readily available in Georgia and29 |
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| 40 | 39 | | consumed at alarming rates; and30 |
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| 41 | 40 | | WHEREAS, the General Assembly intends to provide restrictions on such substances and31 |
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| 42 | 41 | | other intoxicating cannabinoids so as to protect the citizens of this state from such32 |
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| 43 | 42 | | intoxicating and potentially dangerous substances. However, the General Assembly desires33 |
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| 44 | 43 | | to provide those in the consumable hemp industry, government agencies, law enforcement34 |
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| 45 | 44 | | officers, and members of the public the opportunity to provide comment on such potential35 |
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| 46 | 45 | | restrictions before they are enacted so as to understand the need for such restrictions, how36 |
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| 47 | 46 | | such restrictions should be implemented, and the impact such restrictions may have on the37 |
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| 48 | 47 | | hemp industry in Georgia.38 |
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| 49 | 48 | | S. R. 427 |
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| 50 | 49 | | - 2 - 25 LC 55 0616 |
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| 51 | 50 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE: |
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| 52 | 51 | | 39 |
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| 53 | 52 | | (1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Study Committee40 |
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| 54 | 53 | | on Intoxicating Cannabinoids in Consumable Hemp Products.41 |
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| 55 | 54 | | (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the42 |
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| 56 | 55 | | Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall43 |
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| 57 | 56 | | designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.44 |
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| 58 | 57 | | (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,45 |
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| 59 | 58 | | issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or46 |
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| 60 | 59 | | legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.47 |
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| 61 | 60 | | (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee48 |
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| 62 | 61 | | may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or49 |
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| 63 | 62 | | convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and50 |
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| 64 | 63 | | accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.51 |
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| 65 | 64 | | (5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.52 |
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| 66 | 65 | | (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided53 |
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| 67 | 66 | | for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.54 |
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| 68 | 67 | | (B) The allowances and expenses authorized by this resolution shall not be received55 |
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| 69 | 68 | | by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are56 |
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| 70 | 69 | | authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come57 |
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| 71 | 70 | | from funds appropriated to the Senate.58 |
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| 72 | 71 | | (6) Report.59 |
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| 73 | 72 | | (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that60 |
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| 74 | 73 | | include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the61 |
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| 75 | 74 | | same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to62 |
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| 76 | 75 | | subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.63 |
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| 77 | 76 | | S. R. 427 |
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| 78 | 77 | | - 3 - 25 LC 55 0616 |
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| 79 | 78 | | (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for |
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| 80 | 79 | | 64 |
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| 81 | 80 | | proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)65 |
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| 82 | 81 | | of this paragraph.66 |
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| 83 | 82 | | (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of67 |
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| 84 | 83 | | abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. 68 |
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| 85 | 84 | | A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with69 |
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| 86 | 85 | | the Secretary of the Senate.70 |
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| 87 | 86 | | (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary71 |
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| 88 | 87 | | of the Senate copies of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.72 |
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| 89 | 88 | | (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 31, 2025.73 |
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| 90 | 89 | | S. R. 427 |
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| 91 | 90 | | - 4 - |
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