Georgia Gov. Signs Hemp Industry Reform Bill

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Tuesday signed a bill that limits the possession and sale of hemp products to adults 21-and-older. The legislation also creates a licensing program for hemp cultivation, hemp product manufacturing, and retail hemp sales.  

The law sets cultivation licensing fees between $500 and $2,000 annually, and requires surety bonds between $20,000 and $1 million, according to the bill text. Retail license fees are set at $250 annually under the law, while wholesale license fees run between $500 and $10,000 annually, set by the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA). 

In a press release, Kemp said the bill “makes changes to the framework for hemp regulation” to allow the GDA “to have greater oversight and enforcement power and adds labeling, packaging, and marketing requirements to protect children from misleading and dangerous marketing.” 

All hemp products manufactured and sold in the state will have to include a “full panel certificate of analysis.”   

Earlier this month, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper described the bill as providing “guard rails” for the state’s hemp industry.  

Some portions of the law, including the retail licensing provisions, will take effect July 1, while all other provisions will take effect on October 1.