Is Hemp Legal in Georgia?
May 29, 2026
Georgia has no licensed industrial hemp program. Cultivation without authorization falls under Criminal Code Article 265 with penalties up to 11 years.
Georgia has no licensed industrial hemp program. Cultivation without authorization falls under Criminal Code Article 265 with penalties up to 11 years.
Industrial hemp has no clear standalone legal framework in Georgia. The 2018 Constitutional Court ruling addressed personal consumption rather than commercial cultivation, and Parliament has not passed implementing legislation creating a licensed hemp industry. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, together with the National Food Agency, would oversee any agricultural program, but no THC threshold rule (such as the EU 0.3 percent standard) has been formally adopted.
Earlier attempts at industrial cannabis legalization in 2018 stalled in Parliament after public opposition from the Georgian Orthodox Church. Cultivation without authorization remains punishable under Criminal Code Article 265, with sentences ranging from fines to 11 years' imprisonment depending on plant count. Imports of finished hemp goods such as textiles, hempseed foods, and rope generally clear customs because they lack viable seed or THC, but raw hemp biomass and seed lots are detained. No domestic processor of CBD-grade hemp operates legally.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Verify current law with qualified counsel before making compliance decisions.
Restricted
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia; National Food Agency; Ministry of Internal Affairs
No statutory hemp THC threshold adopted
Criminal Code of Georgia Article 265; pending hemp-cultivation bills (not enacted)
Hemp seed and biomass imports require authorization that has not been granted in practice. Finished hemp consumer goods enter through Revenue Service customs without specific licensing. There is no Georgian hemp export industry.
