Texas’s political theater around hemp continues. In the past few months, the state has considered a plethora of proposed bills about the plant. While some of the worst measures have been unsuccessful, weed-lovers in the state haven’t been able to catch a breath. This week, the turmoil continued: Texas state legislators gathered to discuss a number of bills that would regulate—or in some cases, outright ban—consumable hemp products around the state.
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In early July, the governor released the proclamation that led to this special session. In it, he urged lawmakers to use the session to consider and act upon preventing hemp access by minors and to “comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning a lawful agricultural commodity.”
This came after Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) vetoed an outright ban of all cannabis products except those that contain CBD and CBG in June. Texas politicians like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) disapproved of this move, accusing the governor of supporting adult-use recreational cannabis during a press conference.
During this week’s session, lawmakers will discuss HB 160 and SB 5, among other measures.
HB 160 would require warning labels on any hemp products that contain more than trace amounts of THC. The labels would caution consumers that “consumable hemp products can cause cannabis poisoning that can be life-threatening to children, especially to those younger than five years old.” They would also say that using weed under the age of 25 increases risk of “mental disorders like psychosis and schizophrenia.”
The latter bill is a reiteration of Perry’s desire for a blanket ban on hemp products containing a “detectable amount” of cannabinoids other than CBD and CBG. If it were to pass, SB 5 would ban products that contain less than 0.3 percent of THC, which is the federal threshold for legal hemp.
Following his initial veto of Perry’s bill, Abbott expressed his desire for cannabinoids to be regulated as alcohol is, not to be fully banned. He’s since changed his tune—on Tuesday, he reportedly told Impact News that he supports a ban on intoxicating THC products in Texas.
Last week, Rep. Nicole Collier (D) introduced HB 42, which would protect consumers from criminal charges if they bought a product marketed as legal hemp but actually contained excessive amounts of THC. The bill will also be seen in this week’s session.
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Most Texans want weed to be legal in some capacity, but it seems the state’s lawmakers just can’t get behind it. As Texans’ fight for hemp access continues, farmers and other weed-enjoyers should brace themselves for forthcoming tumult.