Columbus CBD shops fight back against bill threatening survival
Columbus CBD shop owners are speaking out against a state bill that they say has the potential to destroy their businesses.
Introduced by state Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens), Georgia Senate Bill 254, titled as the Georgia Hemp Farming Act, looks to enforce restrictions on THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) products throughout the state. CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) are both cannabinoids found in hemp plants, but they have different effects on the body.
The bill has passed in the senate and has been sent to the Georgia House of Representatives for a vote for the next legislative session, happening next year.
Columbus CBD shop owners are fighting back. Columbus Naturals and Your CBD Store Sunmed spoke to the Ledger-Enquirer about the bill, healing properties of CBD and action they are taking to make their voices heard.
What’s in SB 254?
SB 254 provides a comprehensive and strict plan of limiting sale of tetrahydrocannabinol-based products. THC, in this bill, refers to delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10 products, which are most commonly commercially sold in Georgia in edibles, oils and topical products.
The bill says no hemp product can have packaging or container similar to candies or snacks that will be “attractive to children.” The bill also effectively bans the sale of THC-based beverages.
The amended version of the bill, sponsored by a Columbus area legislator, state Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), imposes limits on the amount of THC in hemp products that could be sold or distributed in the state. The limits are as follows:
Consumable hemp products like gummies or edibles
Ten milligrams of total THC per serving
150 milligrams of total THC per container
Topical products like creams or lotions
1,000 milligrams of total THC
Oils and other tinctures
More than 1 milligram of total THC per 1 milliliter of liquid
It is packaged in a container that exceeds 60 milliliters of liquid.
Regarding his participation in this bill, Robertson issued a statement to the Ledger-Enquirer via email. He expressed pride in collaborating with Cowsert to amend the bill. He additionally said the following:
“All bills that come through the Georgia General Assembly are vetted to include input from all parties in order to produce legislation that brings about the best outcome for Georgians. What we have discovered, both through witnessing the effects of these products firsthand and through committee testimony, is hemp products —whether in the form of edibles, drinks or alcoholic beverages designed to impair and intoxicate — all too often serve as a dangerous drug, encouraging unhealthy habits that jeopardize the health, homes, and mental well-being of Georgians of all ages.”
Shop owners and constituents particularly are displeased with Robertson’s response. Owners say his support of this bill disregards his constituents who, they claim, use THC-related products as an alternative to traditional medicine.
“These people are telling their friends, their pastors, their doctors how good this is,” Chace Webb, co-owner of Columbus Naturals, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “If it’s causing them to lose their homes, to lose their minds and to lose their health, why would they be the ones who are spreading the word?”
CBD shop owners said, if this bill passes, it would restrict the range of products they could sell, causing them to take drastic measures to stay afloat, like decreasing hours open or closing entirely.
Why does THC matter in CBD products?
THC is a key element in the psychoactive compound of CBD products, which is responsible for the “high” feeling and is associated with helping consumers feel prolonged relief from many physical conditions such as muscle aches, arthritis, anxiety, insomnia and more.
THC products are not a “one-size-fits-all.” Josh Duckworth, co-owner of Columbus Naturals, told the Ledger-Enquirer. Variations of THC products are better for certain types of problems, he said, highlighting that it is “dose dependent.”
“If you use a tiny bit, almost nothing happens, but it can still knock the edge off,” Duckworth said. “If you take a larger dose, then you may sleep really well. We all have different variations of THC that affect each area better. Some of them are better for sleeping. Some of them are combined with other cannabinoids.”
Ten milligrams of THC in a product is an industry standard for edibles, Duckworth said, but he finds the other limits to be “arbitrary.”
“They’re just round numbers,” Duckworth said. “They’re equating all cannabinoids as if they’re all the same, which they’re not.”
CBD shop owners speak out against SB 254
Pam Connor, owner of Your CBD Store Sunmed, 3507 Gentian Blvd. in Columbus, opened her shop in July 2018 with the goal of helping others “get a better quality of life,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. So far, they have been successful.
Connor shared a plethora of customer success stories, such as solving stubborn insomnia and easing arthritis to regain mobility.
“My most amazing story is a gentleman who still comes in here regularly to get products from us,” Connor said. “He came to our opening weekend in July, and back then, we didn’t have the ramp coming up the back [of the store]. We had just a little step in. He couldn’t get up the step. I literally had to go over and lift his leg to help him get in the store.
“… He did not even have a cane in six weeks of using our products, that man was walking, and he had tears coming down his eyes. He cannot recommend CBD enough. He said he was able to walk nine holes of golf with his granddaughter and go play golf the other day.”
Now, this state bill threatens Connor’s business. When she learned about this bill, Connor said, she was confused by the limit restrictions, calling them “completely off.”
“[Customers] are using CBD for medicinal purposes,” Connor said. “It’s not going to get you high. And, if you take the recommended serving sizes, you’re going to feel good and relaxed.”
Most products at Connor’s CBD shop contain 3% or less of THC. She claims products must have 19% to 20% to fully have psychoactive effects. The industry standard amount of THC in edibles and drinks is 5 milligrams, which equates to .5% of THC infused in the product.
“The sad part about it is this is a product that helps people with zero side effects to their health,” Connor said. “They can take it as needed. The only addiction you have is to the joy and happiness you feel when you take it.”
Duckworth insisted the bill’s impact will shutter the whole CBD industry throughout the state.
“This bill essentially kills the industry,” Duckworth said. “It’s not going to survive, and that either seems to be the intent by negligence or by actual intention.”
Webb and Duckworth are concerned for their business. They feel frustrated this bill comes after recent regulations. The Georgia General Assembly passed the Georgia Hemp Farming Act in March 2024, which imposed age restrictions on the purchasing of hemp products and required shop owners to obtain a license to sell their products. The bill went into effect Oct. 1.
“We were perfectly fine with [the bill],” Duckworth said. “It was a good consensus. It was a good happy medium. It did good things.”
The license, now required, took months to arrive, Duckworth said, with Columbus Naturals receiving theirs at the beginning of this year. Now, three months later, SB 254 threatens to close their shop.
“The CBD market was mostly an unregulated market that needed regulation,” Webb said. “They applied common sense regulation that not only helps protect the consumer, but it was intended to protect the market as well because, once you have that regulation, investors feel more confident about putting more money in the market, which is exactly what we have done.”
Columbus Naturals announced in February their expansion with a second location coming to Highside Market, opening in April. Duckworth said the owners wouldn’t have made the move to expand if they knew the bill was coming.
“I wouldn’t have leveraged myself out that far to do that,” Duckworth said. “It’s tyrannical, and it has no place in our society.”
Webb also expressed a grave concern for customers who have been depending on CBD products. He said he has heard customers express willingness to return to illicit means of getting THC if the bill passes. Duckworth and Webb are former CPD officers.
“It feels hyperbolic, but I mean, we’ve literally had customers tell us like, ‘If this passes, I’m going to go back to my drug dealer,’” Webb said. “It’s very real for people who need this help, who found a legal, regulated and safe way to get the help they need. It’s potentially going to be stolen from them, and their needs don’t go away just because a politician bans it.”
Neither Robertson nor the bill’s co-sponsors Cowsert and state Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell), responded to the Ledger-Enquirer’s questions regarding consumers’ concerns about access to safe THC products.
Webb and Duckworth have started a petition at Change.org to garner public support against the bill, which has garnered over 100 signatures.