Hemp businesses across Texas are bracing for impact as the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) enforces new rules on consumable hemp. The rules come after a months-long battle in the 89th Legislature, where a potential hemp ban, Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), was thrown back and forth in the Texas Capitol. Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the measure and signed an executive order instead calling for more regulations in the consumable hemp program.
Among stricter requirements for packaging, increased licensing fees and allowing for inspections by different state agencies, one of the most impactful rules is new testing requirements. Starting March 31, the state will start to include tetrahydrocannabinol-acid (THCA) as part of the total THC limit, set at .3 percent of dry weight. THCA was the component in hemp that allowed smoke shops and businesses to sell intoxicating hemp; THCA converts into the well-known delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) when burned.
Come April, hemp retailers will no longer be allowed to sell THCA flower. A couple of steps back in the supply chain, hemp farmers will no longer be able to ship their crops to Texas stores.
"We'll be okay with the products we have manufactured, like the dog treats, tinctures and gummies. But the flower you see here, we have to ship it out of state," said Luke Temple.
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