New regulations for the consumable hemp industry were approved by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Tuesday, concluding the agency's involvement in a yearlong effort to more tightly regulate the products in the state.
The rules change little for the $5 billion industry, replacing the temporary emergency rules in place since September. The rules prohibit the sale of consumable hemp products by TABC license holders to people under 21 and require ID checks on all sales. The rules apply to 60,000 TABC license holders, including convenience stores, restaurants and liquor stores, many of which sell consumable hemp products.
"It's much like alcohol, the same reasons we regulate alcohol to those aged 21 and older," said Robert Eckels, chair of the TABC board. "You see not only developmental problems, and you need a level of maturity to use these products or it can be very harmful to the kids and the community."
The permanent rules also pull back on some of the stricter measures in the emergency rules. The new proposal removes a "one strike" provision that allows TABC to cancel the license of any business found to have sold the products to a minor or that failed to check a customer's ID. The permanent rules allow for the agency to temporarily suspend licenses for less egregious violations.
Read more at The Texas Tribune
