With a ban off the table for now, Texas hemp industry leaders said they are amenable to state lawmakers imposing more regulations on their THC products, such as age restrictions on purchases and more testing of their products, but caution against ineffective government overreach.
"We were ecstatic, as you can imagine, that Abbott saw through Senate Bill 3 that it didn't make sense scientifically or legally. We have always been an advocate for sensible and thoughtful regulation, and we look forward to working with lawmakers on this," said Mark Bordas, executive director of the Texas Hemp Business Council.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R), just minutes before the veto deadline on Sunday, rejected Senate Bill 3, which would have banned consumable hemp products that contained any THC, including delta-8 and delta-9. Instead, he has called a special session beginning July 21 to determine how to regulate hemp-derived THC.
Abbott urged lawmakers in his veto to consider an approach similar to the way alcohol is regulated, recommending barring the sale and marketing of THC products to minors, requiring testing throughout the production and manufacturing process, allowing local governments to prohibit stores from selling THC products and providing law enforcement with additional funding to enforce the restrictions.
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