A small group of lawmakers kicked off a series of meetings Thursday to explore what to do with waste from the cannabis products Georgia is beginning to manufacture.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A small group of lawmakers kicked off a series of meetings Thursday to explore what to do with the waste from the cannabis products Georgia is beginning to manufacture.
Hemp is already being grown in a small number of farms scattered across the state, and a few months ago, the state began to allow marijuana to be grown to produce Low-THC oil.
Later this year, dispensaries will begin distributing the oil – strictly to patients who qualify for the state’s registry. Qualifying patients suffer from illnesses that include severe seizures, Parkinson’s disease and terminal cancers.
In the first meeting of Georgia’s House Study Committee on Waste Disposal and Recycling Thursday morning, committee members heard from experts at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech about some possible ways to capture and reuse the waste created from legal cannabis products.
Later, committee members will hear how some other states are reusing waste from cannabis products – the discarded stalks, for example – for manufacturing, composting, and biofuels.
“I think the committee is extremely well intentioned in looking at uses for the surplus of cannabis that’s going to be grown in Georgia in the near future,” said Dr. Gregg Raduka of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy.
Raduka said he’s concerned that cannabis waste could be used to manufacture products that end up in the hands of young people.
“We’re hoping that the way is not being paved for the legalization of higher THC products,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think the committee members would want that either.
Raduka is scheduled to present to the committee during one of its sessions on Friday.
H/T: www.wrdw.com
