As CEO of the American Addiction Recovery Association, my mission is to end the whisper as we shatter the stigma around addiction and uplift viable, real paths to recovery. We should also support policies that limit and restrict access to intoxicating and addictive substances, especially when children are at risk of exposure and even dependency. That’s why I’m urging Georgia’s federal delegation to continue protecting our communities from intoxicating hemp-derived products.

 

Georgia has taken meaningful steps to ensure the safety and health of our families. Just this year, Governor Brian Kemp signed two laws that restrict the sale of intoxicating and potentially addictive hemp-derived products. But this important work at the state level is currently at risk of being undermined by the federal government.

So how did hemp – a crop used to produce clothing, paper, and other textiles – become a main ingredient in intoxicating consumable products? Hemp does naturally contain low levels of delta- 9 THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana. But it also contains other strains of THC, like delta-8, another dangerous compound that exists entirely outside any regulatory framework.

The 2018 Farm Bill included provisions to support farmers cultivating hemp for textile purposes, but it also created this regulatory gap that opened the door to consumable hemp products with intoxicating effects. To make these products, sellers began creating synthetic THC, like the delta-8 strain in hemp.

These products posed serious health risks. The FDA reported that delta-8 THC can cause anxiety, hallucinations, and vomiting. 

Prolonged use even carries the risk of dependency and addiction. And yet, products containing this psychoactive ingredient were sold across the country in gas stations and convenience stores while marketed directly to children.

 

In Georgia, a study revealed that nearly 70% of the assessed stores that sold hemp-derived cannabis products used copycat branding and imaging to attract children. This contributed to an increase in THC consumption among youth, as our state’s poison control centers reported more than 250 delta-8 THC poison-control calls involving children under six since 2021.

With growing concerns from advocates, families, and even State Attorneys General – including Georgia’s own Attorney General Chris Carr – the federal government made the right choice and closed the loophole in 2025. The legislation prohibits synthetic and chemically derived cannabinoids and broadens the THC standard to cover all forms of THC, including delta-8 and delta-9. But closing the loophole is only meaningful if it stays closed. There are already efforts underway to weaken or roll back these protections.

As a member of the addiction recovery community, I cannot stay silent. Prevention is our most powerful tool. Every policy that restricts young people’s access to intoxicating and potentially addictive products is a positive step toward a future free of addiction and dependency. I urge the Georgia federal delegation to fight against the pressures to reopen this loophole. With it closed, children and communities across the country are safer and healthier.

 

For Recovery,

 

Jeff Breedlove

#EndTheWhisper