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Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 41 Authorizes Local Governments to Regulate and Punish Minor Marijuana Possession
Last action · January 16, 2025: House Second ReadersSponsors: Viola Davis and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 41 authorizes Georgia counties and municipal corporations to adopt local ordinances governing and punishing the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. The bill sets a maximum fine of $1,000 for violations of such local ordinances, with all resulting fines and s retained by the county treasury.
Local law enforcement agencies and municipal courts gain the explicit authority to handle low-level marijuana possession through local ordinances, which directs collected fine revenues directly into county treasuries rather than state accounts.
- House Bill 41 was introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives during the 2025-2026 legislative session. context
- Under existing Georgia law, possession of one ounce or less of marijuana is generally treated as a misdemeanor under state statute. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Counties
Counties are granted the authority to adopt local ordinances governing marijuana possession of one ounce or less and retain all associated fines and bond forfeitures in the county treasury.
Municipal Corporations
Municipal corporations are authorized to adopt ordinances governing and punishing the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana.
Individuals charged with possession of marijuana of one ounce or less
Individuals facing charges for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana may be prosecuted under local municipal or county ordinances rather than or in addition to state statutory frameworks.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does House Bill 41 change regarding marijuana possession?
Where do fines collected from these local ordinances go?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 16, 2025HouseHouse Second Readers
- Jan 15, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Jan 14, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Decentralization of Minor Drug Offense Enforcement
The bill shifts regulatory and punitive authority for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana from strictly state oversight to individual counties and municipal corporations.
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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