The Texas Legislature doesn’t meet again until January, but a fight is already heating up over the state’s estimated $8 billion consumable hemp industry, pitting a usually business-friendly GOP against veterans organizations and others who say these products are used responsibly by millions and should be regulatedhigh, something lawmakers didn’t account for when they penned the 2019 law that legalized the hemp industry in Texas.
“A state legislature is meant to reflect the will of the people,” said Cynthia Cabrera, director of the recently formed Texas Hemp Business Council. “Given the size of the market in Texas, it’s obvious that people want these products.”73% support either full legalization or decriminalization of marijuana. An even higher percentage support expanding the use of medical marijuana.
the stores’ customers include soccer moms, seniors and veterans as well as those who previously bought illegal products “on the street.” The stores do not sell to minors, Brantley said. “They’re not going to touch it,” he said. “You can say we’re not in the legal cannabis business all you want. But is already four times California,” where recreational marijuana is legal.“They put a target on us that does not indicate that they’re going to leave us alone,” Cabrera said.
Texas retailers told Texas Monthly they rely on product manufacturers for testing. The state’s Department of State Health Services has said it doesn’t have the resources to independently test products.