GA HB206

Students convicted of marijuana possession for personal use would no longer be disqualified from receiving state financial aid, including HOPE scholarships and grants, need-based loans, graduate on time loans, and public service education loans.

"Possession of marijuana for personal use" is defined as a conviction that does not include intent to distribute, manufacture, sell, or traffic, and does not exceed the weight threshold for misdemeanor possession under Code Section 16-13-2.

Convictions for felony offenses involving controlled substances or dangerous drugs other than personal-use marijuana possession would still result in temporary ineligibility from the date of conviction through completion of the next academic term.

The bill amends four separate code sections governing different state student loan and scholarship programs to apply this exception uniformly across all programs.