Last verified: May 2026
Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon, ret. 2018)
CPA, restaurant-franchise CEO, conservative Republican. Primary sponsor of HB 1 / Haleigh’s Hope Act in 2015. After his 2014 bill (HB 885) collapsed on the final day of session, he refiled in November 2014 as House Bill 1. Ran an "underground" cannabis-oil distribution network from his Macon office during the 2015–2019 in-state-production gap. Did not seek re-election in 2018. The "very unlikely" legislative champion of medical cannabis in Georgia.
Rep. Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville, ret. 2022)
Primary sponsor of HB 324 / Georgia’s Hope Act in 2019. Gravley’s legislation created the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission (GMCC) and authorized 6 in-state production licenses (2 Class 1 + 4 Class 2). The framework is the operational backbone of the current Georgia program.
Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford, ret. 2020)
Senate sponsor of HB 1 / Haleigh’s Hope Act in 2015 as then-chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Controversial for removing fibromyalgia from the qualifying-conditions list in committee.
Sen. Matt Brass (R-Newnan)
Primary sponsor of SB 220 (2026) — "Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act" with 20 bipartisan co-sponsors. Brass’s framework would replace "low THC oil" with "medical cannabis," remove the 5% THC cap, authorize vaporization for 21+, add lupus / severe arthritis / severe insomnia, and tighten certifying-physician oversight.
Rep. Mark Newton, MD (R-Augusta)
Physician-legislator who chaired the 2024 House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Medical Cannabis and Hemp Policies and carries SB 220 in the House. Newton publicly identified the out-of-state telemedicine "loophole" used by an out-of-state physician who had certified roughly 4,000 Georgia patients; SB 220’s "principal place of practice" requirement closes it.
Rep. Devan Seabaugh (R-Cobb County)
Supported the 2023 dispensary launches publicly. Aligned with Cobb-area medical-cannabis families. The Cobb County constituency includes substantial Atlanta-metro patient population.
Sen. Sam Watson (R-Moultrie)
Sponsor of SB 494 (2024) — the hemp-regulation framework that closed the THCA loophole, banned hemp flower retail, restricted hemp sales to 21+, and required GDA licensing. Watson is a Black Belt-area Republican; his cannabis-policy work has focused on the hemp-derived intoxicant market rather than medical-program expansion.
Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens)
Pro-medical-expansion voice in the Senate; chaired Judiciary in earlier sessions. From Athens, where the local political environment favors broader medical-cannabis access.
Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, MD (R-Marietta)
Physician-legislator who has supported expansion in committee. Her medical-professional perspective informs the Republican caucus’s receptivity to physician-driven advocacy on SB 220.
Advocacy Organizations Lobbying the General Assembly
- Drug Policy Reform Coalition of Georgia — statewide criminal-justice reform advocacy.
- Peachtree NORML + Georgia NORML — affiliated with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
- Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) — national MPP coordination with state-level Georgia work.
- ACLU of Georgia (Christopher Bruce, political director) — civil-rights and disparity advocacy.
- Georgia Cannabis Industry Association — represents licensees and industry interests at the state Capitol.
- New Georgia Project Action Fund — 2024 partnership with State Rep. Eric Bell to launch the Georgia Coalition for Cannabis Reform.
The Republican Supermajority Reality
Both chambers have had Republican supermajorities since 2005. Cannabis legislation reaches the Governor’s desk only when the Republican caucus is willing to advance it — which has produced HB 1 (2015), HB 324 (2019), SB 195 (2021), HB 65 (2018), SB 16 (2017), and now SB 220 (2026, pending). Larger reforms (recreational legalization, broader medical expansion, home cultivation) await broader caucus support.
The 2026 gubernatorial election (with AG Carr and Lt. Gov. Jones as primary Republican candidates) will substantially shape what cannabis legislation is politically viable in the 2027 session and beyond.
For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org