Georgia eyes ban on delta-THC beverages

Georgia state lawmakers are traveling two different directions on hemp products and medical marijuana.

The big picture: Though about half of U.S. states have legalized recreational marijuana use, it remains illegal federally and throughout most of the South. The issue in Georgia has split into areas:

• There's medical marijuana, which is legal in Georgia and tightly regulated;
• And there are hemp products that have forms of THC like delta-8, -9, -10 and -11 and are available everywhere from gas stations to delivery apps.

Driving the news: Republican lawmakers in the GOP-controlled General Assembly have set their sights on hemp products that have boomed in popularity and acceptance as consumers seek alternatives to alcohol.

• This past Thursday on Crossover Day, Senate Majority Whip Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) amended legislation lowering the limit of psychoactive compounds in edibles and beverages to include an outright ban on drinks.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) said his legislation regulating THC in drinks was necessary because "we are putting loaded guns in people's hands in the form of a can or a gummy."

The intrigue: Not long after passing the ban, lawmakers advanced legislation that expands Georgia's medical marijuana program and allows the industry to increase the percentage of THC in medical cannabis products from 5% to 50%.

What they're saying: Joe Salome, the co-founder and managing partner of Georgia Hemp Co., told Axios that hemp beverages make up to 20% of his company's revenues, which already took a roughly 50% hit after the state banned hemp food and flower, which looks virtually identical to marijuana, in October.

• "We lost millions since Oct. 1, and we're poised to lose millions more and maybe have to go bankrupt if all these bills go through. What we built in a short time was taken away from us in an even shorter time."
• While the products are becoming more mainstream — his company recently began selling gummies via DoorDash delivery — the state's regulations are growing tighter.

What we're watching: What changes the Georgia House of Representatives will make to the legislation.

• And whether the jumble of head shops, health stores, big marijuana, growers, distributors and other businesses that make up Georgia's hemp and cannabis industry can find common ground and lobby lawmakers with a unified voice.

Zoom out: The federal government has extended the deadline — yet again — to approve the Farm Bill, the federal law that opened the door for THC-infused edibles and drinks in 2018, until later this year.

• Congress could tweak the delta-THC limit in products or prohibit the psychoactive compounds altogether, a move that could essentially snuff out the industry.