The Department will be accepting written comments from Thursday, August 8, 2024, until the close of business (4:30 p.m. ET) on Friday, September 6, 2024.
Public comments and the adoption of the amended rules will be considered at 1 p.m. on Monday, September 9, 2024, in Room 201 at the Georgia Department of Agriculture, 19 M.L.K. Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
Please submit written comments to:
Bruce Stanford
Georgia Department of Agriculture 19 M.L.K Jr. Drive SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
E-mail: hemp@agr.georgia.gov
If you'd like to submit pre-written comments, copy and past the text below (for retailers or for customers) into an email to hemp@agr.georgia.gov. You can alternatively click the button to open your email client with auto-populated text!
FOR RETAILERS:
"I am submitting a public comment on the proposed Dept. of Agriculture regulations for hemp beverages in Georgia.
As a local Georgian retailer interested in hemp beverages in Georgia, I am grateful to see proposed regulations released to help create a system for selling safe hemp products. After reviewing the proposed regulations, I believe that the following changes are important to consider:
First, the dosage limit for beverages should be changed. From the proposed Rules, 10mg seems acceptable for gummies. If beverages are limited to 5mg servings, then in order to provide consistency in product content hemp beverage containers should be allowed up to two servings (10mg) per container. It takes much longer for a person to drink a beverage than to consume one gummy, so, having a beverage container equal to one 10mg dose as a gummy should be acceptable. Having a range of doses will help mine and other local retailers make this an economically viable product.
Second, the symbol required is very specific for Georgia. Most hemp products are not made in Georgia. Developing a state specific label adds more cost to the product and a Georgia label could mislead people to believe it was manufactured in the state. The purpose of such a label is to warn consumers that the product contains THC. Therefore, the new rules should adopt a more normalized symbol that serves that purpose.
In the alternative the department could require the ASTM symbol created for this purpose:
Since the statute does not require only one approved symbol, we suggest that multiple symbols be approved to allow companies flexibility in production and of course best serve the consumers of Georgia with safe products.
Thank you for your consideration,
[Name]"
FOR CUSTOMERS:
Dear Georgia Dept. of Agriculture,
Related to the new Rules concerning Hemp beverages -
Please do not limit the Hemp beverage container dose so that I can choose just one small 12-ounce container instead of drinking many beverages.
Please allow me to responsibly choose the container size and dose of Hemp beverages I can buy.
Restricting the serving size and container sizes this way will discourage many good Hemp beverage companies from selling their products in Georgia.
Thank you.
A Concerned Georgian
