The convenience of convenience stores is only getting more convenient… especially when it comes to drugs.
Actual cannabis is illegal in most parts of Georgia, but people can go to a gas station and find delta-8 THC vape pens, cartridges, disposable cartridges and gummies.
Some gas stations have branched out from delta-8, selling other products , such as delta-9 and delta-10, that are differentiated by the chemical difference in the oils. There are also cartridges that claim to have mushroom extract.
According to USAToday, delta-8 was legalized by going through a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill.
According to georgiastatecannabis.org, the 2018 Farm Bill, “legalized the cultivation, manufacture, and use of industrial hemp and its derivatives including Delta-8 THC in the U.S. Georgia enacted the 2018 Farm Bill one year later in 2019.”
From 2021-2023, the sale of delta-8 THC products has grown to over $2 billion nationally. (Forbes.com)
According to an NBC article, “The FDA hasn’t made any broad recommendations on delta-8 THC, but it has issued individual warnings to companies selling delta-8 THC in ways the violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, for example, making claims that delta-8 can treat medical conditions.”
While there are still many questions surrounding the safety of delta-8, some users aren’t worried.
Some students say that the high that comes from delta-8 relieves stress. A.M., a junior history major says, “Personally, it relieves a ton of anxiety. When there’s so much to worry about with school work and real life, it feels good to escape and get my mind off of everything. I get that it can be really harmful, but aren’t we supposed to use natural laundry detergent instead of harmful chemicals like Tide Pods? We’re supposed to do a lot of things to improve our health, but we don’t.”
Other students say they are worried, and would rather have an alternative. Dray, sophomore biology major says, “I think it’s weird how delta-8 is fully legal, but cannabis is not. In my opinion, I think that delta-8 has a better chance to be worse for the user in the long run. I would rather ingest something that came naturally out of the ground rather than something that has been made in a lab.”
Georgia has made slow steps to hint that marijuana could be legal in the future.
Cannabis has always been illegal in the state of Georgia, but has slowly become decriminalized in several cities including Atlanta, Savannah, Macon and Athens. “Limited medical use allowed in the form of cannabis oil containing less than 5% THC” is also allowed.
The Atlanta law “Atlanta Code Section 106-182 prohibits the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana… violation of Section 106-182 shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $75.”
UNG Chief of Police Greg Williams says, “I just enforce the laws as they’re written. And I think the best thing I can say is that I will support the laws as they’re written and passed by the state legislature.”
