Georgia On Our Minds

In the latest edition of Where in the World is the Roundtable’s General Counsel, Jonathan Miller testified yesterday before the Georgia Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. The subject matter was House Bill 213, introduced by hemp champion Rep. John Corbett, and already passed by the House of Representatives in an overwhelming vote.

The good news about the bill is that it would bring the Peach State into the world of hemp, allowing it to join as the 42nd state to legalize growth of the crop. The challenging news is that the bill is a work in progress – it is quite restrictive in terms of permitting growers and processors, and worse, it would only allow the sale of hemp products manufactured from the seed and stalk of the plant. (Here is the Roundtable’s critique of the bill, and recommendations for improvement.)

The best news is that it was clear from the hearing that Senators are very receptive to the Roundtable’s advocacy: We anticipate efforts in the next few days to amend the bill to expand hemp growth and processing and to permit the retail sale of all hemp products, including CBD. Here’s a link to the hearing – Jonathan’s testimony can be found at 1:05:34 Here’s Jonathan’s Facebook live preview of the hearing. If you hail from Georgia, please use our state action center to urge legislators to strengthen and support House Bill 213. If you’re from somewhere else, please share this message with your Georgia friends through email and social media. Help us prove once again that when we raise our voices, we win.

STATE ACTION CENTER