Search results for: “georgia”

Georgia House Welcomes ‘False’ Registry Comments

Credit: Hafakot
Earlier this year, the Georgia legislature adjourned before the Senate could consider House Bill 1260, also known as the Georgia Nicotine Vapor Products Directory Act. If passed, the bill would have established a registry for vape products that had premarket tobacco product applications (PMTA) either authorized or under consideration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Manufacturers would add their products to the registry voluntarily.
According to reporting by Filter, legislators formed the Safety & Consumer Protection of Nicotine Vapor Products Study Committee in March. At the committee meetings held September 5 and September 9, law enforcement officers and school administrators took turns giving wildly inaccurate testimony about how United States teenagers are being killed off en masse by unregulated, disposable flavored vapes imported from China.
The September 9 meeting featured a slideshow titled Flavored Disposable Vape–The New Face of Organized Crime, describing how the epidemic was leading children down a path toward transnational drug trafficking. It was kept off-camera during the livestream, due to apparently containing top-secret law enforcement intelligence.
“Again, everything’s Chinese, from China. What else is China bringing into the United States?” asked copresenter Carlos Sandoval. “Methamphetamine. Cocaine. Vapes is another new product, it’s opening another door for organized crime and cartels.”
Despite the fact that the both study committee and the tabled bill are purportedly about nicotine vapor products, the committee appeared to be about equally preoccupied with THC. Both were described as “highly addictive” and “silent killers,” often interchangeably.
One former principal testified that one of the only interventions she’d found helpful to prevent vaping in her school was a “rewards program” that used a school communications platform to apparently place small bounties on students who vaped.
“A student could go on there and turn in someone who was vaping in the bathroom,” she said, “and if we were able to prove it they would receive a $25 gift certificate. We called it ‘Snitches Get Riches.’”
September 18, 2024
Georgia Seeking to Create Vape Safety Committee

Local legislators in Georgia are sponsoring a Georgia House resolution that would create a new study committee on the safety and consumer protection of nicotine vapor products.
“Within the nicotine vapor product industry there is no current directory of products that have been vetted and approved by the (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration for consumer safety and consumption,” the text of the resolution reads. “Further study needs to be had on the consumer safety of refillable liquid vapor products that are produced from the small businesses within the nicotine vapor product industry.”
The resolution was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly on Feb. 27, according to media reports.
“A study is needed to develop potential legislation or other action that would help prevent incidents leading to consumer harm or injuries in the nicotine vapor industry and protect the health and safety of those consuming the products,” the resolution continues.
The proposed House study committee would be made up of five Georgia House members appointed by the speaker of the House.
“In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution,” the text reads. “No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.”
Per the resolution, the proposed committee would officially disband on Dec. 1. “Until such products from small business manufacturers are adequately regulated by the federal government, it is important to study all of the issues surrounding electronic cigarettes, e-liquids and other nicotine vapor products while at the same time encouraging economic development in this state,” the resolution text reads.
March 4, 2024
Georgia Lawmaker Introduces Vaping Registry Bill

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A Georgia lawmaker is seeking for the state to create a registry of vape products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The goal is to let retailers and consumers know what’s legal and what’s not. The bill was introduced in committee.
Lawmaker Houston Gaines showed several examples of vape products that are illegal. Media reports also state that if you check on the back, they say, “Made in China.” Nearly all vaping hardware products, legal or otherwise, are produced in China.
The FDA does not approve them, so Gaines said Georgia shouldn’t either. The FDA does not approve vaping products for sale; it only authorizes them.
The state agriculture department would maintain and publish the list. Any product not on that list could not be sold legally in the state of Georgia.
At a Monday afternoon committee hearing, there were so many people that the committee chairman agreed to hold a second one so everyone could have their say, and some pushed back hard.
One of those who got their say Monday was vape store owner Dillon Gilbert, who insists this bill will destroy their industry.
“I own vape stores in Savannah and Columbus,” Gilbert said. “We want common sense regulation, but unfortunately, this bill is a death blow to our industry.”
But Gaines insists the bill will help keep vape products laced with fentanyl or THC off the shelves. No nicotine vaping product has ever been found to be laced with fentanyl. The GFDA does not regulate THC products.
Under the bill, any store caught selling these unapproved vape products could face serious fines and possible suspension of their licenses.
Louisiana’s passed a law that bans retailers from selling vape products not listed on a state-approved registry, known as the V.A.P.E. Directory. Alabama and Florida use the same list. Nebraska is also seeking to pass a bill to create a vape registry in the state.
February 20, 2024
Georgia Public Vaping Ban Goes to Governor’s Desk

Credit: Sharafmaksumov
Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Georgia gave final passage Tuesday to a bill that would restrict vaping in public spaces.
The state House voted 152-14 to pass Senate Bill 47, which would regulate vaping in the same way the state already regulates smoking. The bill goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto, according to Fox News.
Georgia’s 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act says that people can’t smoke indoors in many public places, although it excludes some places including tobacco stores, bars that only admit patrons older than 18, and privately owned convention rooms.
A person who violates the law commits a misdemeanor and can be fined $100 to $500.
March 22, 2023
Georgia Moves to Ban Vaping in Public Spaces

Credit: Sharafmaksumov
Senators in the U.S. state of Georgia are moving to restrict vaping in public spaces.
The state Senate voted 51-3 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 47, which would regulate vaping in the same way the state already regulates smoking. The measure moves to the House for further debate, reports Fox News.
Georgia’s 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act says that people can’t smoke indoors in many public places, although it excludes some places including tobacco stores, bars that only admit patrons older than 18, and privately owned convention rooms.
A person who violates the law commits a misdemeanor and can be fined $100 to $500.
Last week, a bill was introduced in Georgia’s General Assembly that would raise the state tax on vaping and other tobacco products and use the proceeds to improve health care.
February 16, 2023
Georgia to Vote on Two Bills That Include Vaping Tax

Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. (Credit: F11 Photo)
A bill in the General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia would raise the state tax on vaping and other tobacco products and use the proceeds to improve health care.
Introduced by House Representative Ron Stephens, two bills in the contention could make the tax possible, according to 13WAMZ.
House bills 191 and 192 have the same language but their numbers are different. Bill 191 states a $0.57 tax per pack of 20 cigarettes and a $0.05 per fluid milliliter for vapor products in a closed system. For an open system, it would be a 7% tax on the wholesale cost price.
Bill 192 states a $0.37 tax per pack of 20 cigarettes and a 15% on vapor products at the wholesale cost.
Shabbir Hussain is a smoker himself and says using the money to help fund Georgia’s healthcare programs is a good thing.
“And $0.20 is not something people would worry about, and if that would benefit the health system, they should go for it,” Hussain said.
Last month, House Speaker Jon Burns said he was open to another healthcare proposal that has gone nowhere in the past – raising the state’s tax on tobacco products.
February 8, 2023
Georgia Ready to Consider Raising Tobacco Taxes

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In the United States, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns said he was open to another healthcare proposal that has gone nowhere in the past – raising the state’s tax on tobacco products.
Georgia has the second lowest tobacco tax rate in the country.
“That’s one of the areas we’ll look at,” he said, reports WABE.
Burns has restructured the House committees in a way meant to encourage lawmakers to dig into complex healthcare issues, and he says a possible tobacco tax increase is an example of a healthcare policy that could bubble up from the committees.
January 23, 2023
Georgia Judge Stalling District Attorney’s Delta-8 Ban
A Georgia judge has halted efforts by a suburban Atlanta prosecutor to enforce a ban on some cannabis extracts, in a case that could set a statewide precedent, according to the Associated Press.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall on Friday issued a 30-day order restraining Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gaston from prosecuting people for selling or possessing the extracts.
“I have concerns that this may or may not be a rogue DA,” Schwall said. “I think there may be some prosecutorial priorities misplaced.”
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by two owners of Gwinnett County vaping stores seeking to have two extracts — delta-8 and delta-10 THC — declared legal in Georgia. The chemicals are similar to the main intoxicating ingredient in marijuana but cause milder highs. They are typically sold in vape cartridges, tinctures, gummies and other edibles.
Other states are also wrangling with the substances’ murky legality.
March 22, 2022
Georgia State Begins Aerosol Research Study for ENDS
A research initiative on the potential harmful effects of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) by Chemical Insights, an institute of Underwriters Laboratories and Georgia State University’s School of Public Health are now underway. The collaboration will characterize airborne particulate aerosols and volatile organic chemicals released during e-cigarette use and determine human exposure levels and toxicity for users and bystanders, according to a press release.
Essentra Scientific Services’ new laboratory is dedicated to testing electronic cigarettes.
“With a focus on public health and safety benefits, our research findings will identify specific particles and chemicals that infiltrate the lungs of a user so that steps can be taken to reduce human health risks,” said Marilyn Black, vice president and senior technical advisor with Chemical Insights.
The release states that one contributing factor to youth use of ENDS is the perception that ENDS are a safer alternative to cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. “However, a series of studies have proven pulmonary toxicity in e-cigarettes and a link to negative impacts on adolescents’ respiratory health,” the release states. “ENDS lags in product safety testing for numerous proprietary liquids and aerosol delivery methods available in the expanding marketplace.”
The study will reportedly provide scientifically sound data to inform policy makers, healthcare providers, manufacturers and consumers of potential health risks and approaches for product usage and label warnings to educate consumers of potential respiratory hazards, according to Roby Greenwald, assistant professor in the School of Public Health and co-principal investigator of the study. “We’re looking at multiple liquids and aerosol delivery methods that are readily available to better understand toxicity and their impact on human health.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently evaluating the harm-reduction potential of vapor products through its premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process. The regulatory agency has stated that ENDS are safer than combustible tobacco products, but do not come without risk.
Research findings will begin to be released in fall 2021.
August 13, 2021
Georgia Cops Cracking Down on Delta-8 Sales
A central Georgia vape shop is the latest business to be raided by authorities in relation to the sale of delta-8 THC products . Two store employees were charged as part of the crackdown. The proliferation of delta-8-THC products being sold outside dispensaries has prompted a patchwork of enforcement reactions and crackdowns in states with varied policies on cannabis, from South Carolina to Oregon.
Credit: Fotokitas
The Newnan Times-Herald reports that Coweta County authorities were tipped off that the store called Tobacco & Vapor was illegally selling THC products. An undercover officer bought gummies from the store that failed THC testing. A search warrant was later executed and authorities seized 554 suspected delta-8-THC edibles and 616 suspected delta-8-THC products other than edibles.
Two of the store’s employees were charged with drug crimes including narcotics possession. Delta-8-THC is a molecule that exists rarely in the cannabis plant but can be easily synthesized from cannabinoids extracted from legal hemp, prompting confusion over its legality. Delta-8 is not specifically banned in Georgia. Delta-8 will also provide a positive result in testing as current tests used by law enforcement cannot differentiate between delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC (which is illegal federally and in Georgia).
While hemp itself is federally legal (at or less than 0.3 percent THC), each state has different laws and restrictions regarding byproducts derived from hemp, including Delta-8. No products containing Delta-8 have been tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or are FDA-approved. The 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp and its byproducts, explicitly excluded delta-9-THC, also known as simply THC, the compound that produces the typical marijuana “high.” But because of the bill’s loophole, delta-8 seemingly remains legal.
Twelve states have completely banned delta-8 sales specifically. Those states include Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Rhode Island and Utah. New York has a proposed rule to ban Delta-8 products, which is under a comment period until July 19. California, Oregon, Vermont and Washington are in the process of enacting regulations for delta-8 products. Several other states are also considering bans. Florida’s language concerning delta-8, however, allows for the legal sale of delta-8 in that state.
In order to prosecute a business or individual for selling or possessing delta-8 products, the government has to prove that you knowingly possessed or distributed a schedule I controlled substance, specifically THC or marijuana. Georgia officials have been cracking down on delta-8 sales over the last year. In May, local law enforcement in the metro-Atlanta area executed search warrants at several stores and a warehouse belonging to a small business owner who operates a chain of vape shops. Police seized several products that allegedly contain delta-8.
June 28, 2021

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