Texas, Tennessee and Alabama lawmakers prevailed in prohibiting certain cannabinoid hemp products this month, creating a shockwave for Southern business owners and Cannabis Business Times readers alike.
In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation on May 21 that will ban products containing THCA or synthetic cannabinoids as well as prohibit online sales for other hemp products starting in January 2026 in the Volunteer State, representing the most-read storyline this month.
Similarly, the Texas Legislature sent Gov. Greg Abbott Senate Bill 3 this week, legislation that will prohibit manufacturing and selling hemp products containing any amount of THC or other derivatives, other than nonintoxicating CBD or CBG, taking the No. 2 spot among CBT’s most popular articles in May.
“We are not banning hemp. We are banning high,” Texas House Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, said May 21 on the House floor. “If it gets you high, it is not legal anymore. We will not be allowing the sale of THC-based intoxicants in any forms.”
And, in the No. 5 spot, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation on May 14 that will prohibit smokable hemp products and more strictly regulate consumable hemp products beginning in January 2026.
Other stories that readers did not want to miss out on this month included an op-ed from Hirsh Jain, the director of market intelligence at Verdant Strategies, who outlined the significance of the German cannabis market for global industry expansion; and a piece on Drug Enforcement Administration nominee Terry Cole pledging to move forward on the cannabis rescheduling process but refusing to commit to a Schedule III proposal.
Don’t miss out on our Top 10 storiesfrom May 2025.
