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Texas medical cannabis and hemp businesses both enjoyed some major, yet largely unexpected news over the weekend, not only ensuring the continued legality of hemp but significantly expanding the state’s medical cannabis programme.
The US’ second largest state by size, population and economy has for months become a focal point for the US hemp industry, as legislators moved to impose an overwhelmingly strict crackdown on ‘intoxicating hemp’ products, which would have decimated the non-intoxicating hemp industry.
In March this year, the Texas Senate approved Senate Bill 3 by an overwhelming majority, which would prohibit the retail sale of any cannabinoid in Texas, except CBD and CBG.
Should the bill have been passed by the House and signed into law by the Governor, Delta 8, Delta 9, and all other forms of intoxicating THC, including beverages would have been banned entirely, a move which would decimate the $8bn industry and impact tens of thousands of jobs.
Since the bill has been sat on the desk of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, hemp businesses across the state have been subject to raids, arrests and closures, as inaccurate tests to determine the level of THC have been used to fuel ‘political theatre’ and drive support for SB3, according to David Sergi and Kyler Rucker of Sergi and Associates, a San Marcos-based law firm.
Despite widespread support from lawmakers, the Governor ultimately moved to veto the bill on Sunday, while a ‘special session’ has now been scheduled for next month to discuss the ban further.
General Council of the US Hemp Roundtable, Jonathan Miller, said: “Last night’s gubernatorial veto of hemp-killing SB 3 in Texas should prove to be a seminal moment for hemp farmers and businesses across the country.
“Governor Greg Abbott, who took this wise and historic action, said it best in his veto statement: ‘Texas must enact a regulatory framework that protects public safety, aligns with federal law, has a fully funded enforcement structure, and can take effect without delay.’
“The US hemp industry is deeply grateful to Governor Abbott, but even more grateful to the Texas hemp organizations that led this fight, and especially to the hundreds of thousands of Texas Hemp Supporters who made their voices heard over the past several weeks.”
Meanwhile, a separate bill was passed which will see Texas’ tightly restricted medical cannabis programme expanded.
Texas first legalised medical cannabis in June 2015, when the Compassionate Use Act permitted low‑THC cannabis oil for patients with intractable epilepsy. While eligibility criteria has gradually expanded since then to include conditions such as Parkinson’s, ALS, autism, MS, spasticity, and terminal cancer, access remained impossible for many.
According to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), access was so severely restricted that it did not meet the standard to be considered a medical cannabis state.
On Saturday, Abbot signed HB 46 into law, seeing Texas become the 40th state to fully legalise medical cannabis, adding conditions including Crohn’s disease, and traumatic brain injury as qualifying conditions, and adding methods of delivery to include lotions, patches, suppositories, pulmonary inhalation with approved nebulizers, inhalers, and vaporizers (when directed by a doctor).
In a press release, MPP’s Southeast Legislative Manager, Kevin Caldwell said “For too long, the existing Texas Compassionate Use Program has been severely limited, leaving countless Texans without the relief they desperately need. Texans have spoken, and their voices have been heard.
“HB 46 will expand access to medical cannabis, a relatively safe and effective treatment option that has long been sought by patients suffering from pain and several other serious medical conditions.”
Lauren Daly, Interim Executive Director at the MPP, added: “Following in the footsteps of 39 other states, Texas has embraced a commonsense policy that will ensure that Texans facing serious medical conditions have access to a medicine that’s already successfully improving lives nationwide.”
“}]] Texas medical cannabis and hemp businesses both enjoyed some major, yet largely unexpected news over the weekend, not only ensuring the continued legality of hemp but significantly expanding the state’s medical cannabis programme. Read More
