If Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s cannabis wishes come true when the 89th Legislature begins in January 2025, a total THC ban could soon go into effect in Texas.
On Wednesday night, Patrick announced a “major legislative initiative” aimed at banning all forms of consumable THC in Texas, including consumable hemp products such as THCa, Delta-8, and Delta-9. announced.
RELATED: ‘Very outdated’: Texas cannabis advocates react to THC ban, Patrick clarifies bill
Patrick said cannabis retailers in Texas are “dangerously” abusing the state’s farm law (House Bill 1325) to “sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the general public.” .
He also claimed the stores target children and sell products containing “three to four times the THC content that can be found in marijuana purchased from drug dealers.”
To close the door that was opened when the Texas Department of Public Safety launched the state’s consumable cannabis program in 2020, Patrick said marijuana would be labeled as legal if it contained less than 0.3% delta-9 THC at the time of harvest. announced the Senate bill. 3.
The bill, to be introduced by Texas Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), aims to ban “all forms of THC” to “keep these dangerous products off our streets.”
But Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy Heather Fazio previously warned of an outright ban on THC.
Texas marijuana supports total THC ban
When asked about the possibility of a total THC ban in a September interview with LoneStarLive.com, Fazio emphasized: “You can’t put 7,000 crying cats back in the bag. You can’t do that. The most rational approach would be to effectively regulate this market.”
Fazio added that a total THC ban could cost people their livelihoods.
“The businesses that can be regulated will be forced out of business and all markets will be in the hands of online shops. And then we will go back to an illegal market where people just sell these products. It’s very unrealistic to think that we can ban it again,” Fazio said.
Advocates for the hemp industry have called for tighter regulation of Texas’ consumable hemp program, even clashing with Texas senators like Sen. Perry during a committee hearing in May. Currently, Texas law does not have a minimum age requirement to purchase hemp-derived cannabis products in Texas.
Texas DSHS explains this in detail on its FAQ page: This includes hemp products intended for smoking. ”
Patrick first hinted in April that he intended to ban cannabis products in the 89th Congress.
Cynthia Cabrera of Hometown Hero, a cannabis business that is still battling with Texas DSHS over the legality of hemp-based consumables like Delta-8, said at the time that “removing hemp products from the market is reckless. It’s misguided,” he told LoneStarLive.com.
Cabrera added that Hometown Heroes has “always supported restricting the sale of these products to people over the age of 21, with the exception of veterans between the ages of 18 and 21, and has continued to support restricting the sale of these products to children and students for the 2025 session.” We will continue to push forward with this bill.” Durable packaging. ”
The 89th Congress begins on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
