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3d ago

Texas Legislature Approves Ban on Consumable THC Hemp and Expands Medical Marijuana Program

Governor Greg Abbott must decide whether to enact measures outlawing consumable hemp THC; the proposal introduces new qualifying conditions, smokable formats, satellite dispensaries in the state medical program.

File photo: marijuana plants in a flowering room at Compassionate Cultivation, a licensed medical cannabis cultivator and dispensary, in Manchaca, Texas.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, seen here last fall, has been the driving force behind the bill that would ban THC across Texas. 
An engineer at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation in South Austin tests for impurities on April 30, 2021.
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Overview

  • The Texas Senate and House have approved Senate Bill 3, which prohibits all consumable THC hemp products statewide, and sent it to Gov. Greg Abbott for signature.
  • House Bill 46, also awaiting the governor’s approval, would broaden the Texas Compassionate Use Program to include chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, terminal illness, hospice care, glaucoma and veterans while permitting smokable marijuana products by prescription.
  • HB46 authorizes licensed distributors to expand from nine to 12 operators and establishes satellite outlets in each public health region to improve patient access and reduce long-distance travel.
  • Lawmakers characterized the dual legislation as a means to eliminate unregulated hemp goods linked to poisoning cases and concentrate THC access under a medically supervised framework.
  • The combined actions threaten an $8 billion hemp industry supporting over 50,000 Texas jobs by shifting consumable THC sales exclusively into the regulated medical program.