Marijuana Moment
The governor of Texas has convened another special session—again directing lawmakers to advance legislation regulating consumable hemp and setting an age limit to access cannabinoids. Within hours, a Senate committee quickly and unanimously approved a reintroduced bill that would simply ban hemp THC products in contravention of Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) call for regulation.
After Democratic House lawmakers staged a walkout during the first special session Abbott convened—denying the chamber a quorum in protest of a proposed redistricting plan for the state’s congressional map—the governor on Friday issued a proclamation to start a second special session. The session cannot last longer than 30 days under the state constitution, but there’s no limit on how many can be called.
On the same day Abbott declared the new session, the Senate State Affairs Committee quickly passed a reintroduced hemp bill from Sen. Charles Perry (R) in a 9-0 vote.
The legislation would continue to outright ban cannabis products with “any amount” of cannabinoids other the CBD and CBG. Even mere possession of a prohibited cannabis item would be punishable as a Class B misdemeanor, carrying up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
The governor’s latest proclamation also renews his call for legislation “making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21.”
But while Perry’s bill that moved through committee would impose a complete ban on hemp containing any THC, Abbott said in his latest proclamation that he wanted to see a measure sent to his desk that would “comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning lawful hemp-derived products.”
Heather Fazio, director of the advocacy group Texas Cannabis Policy Center, told Marijuana Moment on Friday that the group is “disappointed to see the senate suspend their own rules to circumvent public notice requirements, disenfranchising the many Texans who would have testified in opposition to SB 6.”
“This is yet another sweeping ban on THC products,” she said. “Most Texans agree with Governor Abbott: The Texas legislature should regulate, not ban, THC products.”
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