Texas

Texas hemp regulation proceeds despite federal restriction

Published

2 months ago

November 18, 2025

Texas hemp regulation proceeds despite federal restriction

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The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission moved forward on Tuesday with its efforts to regulate the sale of consumable hemp products as questions swirled around the future of the industry due to federal restrictions on the products approved by Congress last week.

A provision of the funding bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture that ended the longest government shutdown on record also undid a provision of the 2018 farm bill that first allowed Texas’ $8 billion hemp industry to thrive.

The funding bill bans the sale of hemp-derived products with more than 0.4 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive element also found in marijuana. That provision, which criminalizes almost all consumable hemp products sold across the country, will put Texas’ law in direct conflict with the federal law when it takes effect next November.

In spite of the impending federal restrictions, TABC intends to proceed with the adoption of permanent regulations on the hemp industry in Texas that will replace emergency rules adopted by the commission in September that barred the sale of THC products to anyone younger than 21. Advocates and trade representatives who testified at the TABC meeting Tuesday said they do not expect the federal restrictions to be the final word on the debate.

“What we understand is this is still a conversation that is happening at (the federal) level,” Shaun Salvaje, a veteran who uses consumable hemp products and an advocate for cannabis reform, told the commission. “You have a unique opportunity to regulate an industry that is built by Texans for Texans.”

The commissioners are following the executive order Gov. Greg Abbott issued in September that directed both TABC and the Department of State Health Services to impose stricter regulations on the hemp businesses they license, like an age restriction on sales to minors and mandatory ID verification at the point of sale.

That executive order came after Abbott in June vetoed a legislative ban on the products and the Legislature was unable to come to a consensus on regulations during two special sessions this summer.

DSHS in October approved its own emergency rules that require sellers of consumable hemp to verify with a valid ID that a customer is at least 21 years old, violations of which may lead to the revocation of a license or registration.

TABC’s latest proposed rules

TABC’s proposed permanent rules were introduced at the Tuesday meeting, and commissioners also voted to begin a public input period that will conclude on Jan. 4. The commission will vote on the formal adoption of the regulations in January.

TABC’s proposed rules are largely aligned with the emergency rules it approved in September, but pulls back on some of the stricter measures. The new proposal removes a “one strike” provision that allows TABC to revoke the license of any business found to have sold the products to a minor or failed to check ID. The permanent rules allow for the agency to temporarily suspend licenses for less egregious violations.

Two trade group representatives of convenience stores in the state testified that they support a less punitive approach to potential violations, arguing the automatic cancellation under the emergency rules risks putting stores out of business over a simple mistake.

TABC’s permanent rules would apply to businesses that have liquor licenses and sell hemp products, such as restaurants and bars that sell THC drinks and convenience stores that sell both alcohol and THC products.

Further public comment will take place over the coming weeks both submitted and at a public hearing planned for Dec. 11, TABC staff said.

Another fight for the hemp industry

Commissioner Hasan K. Mack said the agency intends to act “regardless of the actions at the federal level.”

“We’re going to do what the governor tells us we need to do … that’s all we can do right now until we get further guidance from the governor’s office,” Mack said. “There is no benefit in allowing underage Texans to consume hemp products.”

Abbott has not provided additional guidance to the agencies since the federal restrictions were approved, and his office did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The federal restrictions signed by President Donald Trump last week invoke a sense of déjà vu in Texas, where advocates and trade groups sprung into action following the legislative approval of a ban on the sale of the products this spring. After weeks of lobbying the governor’s office, Abbott split from more conservative members of his party and vetoed the ban, citing the industry’s economic impact.

The industry is gearing up for a similar fight, this time in Washington.

“Hemp is too vital to the American economy and to the livelihoods of millions to be dismantled by rushed, politically driven legislation,” the Texas Hemp Business Council said in a statement last week. “As we proved in Texas, we will continue to pursue every legal and legislative option to overturn these harmful provisions and restore a fair, science-based system that continues to protect minors, ensure product safety and preserve the economic opportunities Congress created in 2018.”

It is also unclear how aggressively the federal restrictions will be enforced once they go into effect. Since 1970, marijuana, hemp’s cousin, has been classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive classification, but that prohibition is generally not enforced in states where it is legal. There are 40 states, including Texas, that have medical marijuana programs. In 24 states, marijuana is legal for recreational use.

Like in Texas, all branches of the federal government are controlled by the Republican Party, which has historically been more hostile to recreational cannabis use. However, political winds have changed in recent years.

U.S. Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, and Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, both voted in favor of the funding bill that included the restrictions, citing the need to end the government shutdown as quickly as possible. They both also said they oppose the federal restrictions on the hemp industry and hope Congress will address the issue again.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was one of two Republican senators to vote in favor of a failed amendment that would have removed the restrictions from the funding bill.

Even Trump, who the White House said was supportive of the restrictions in the funding bill, in September endorsed Medicare coverage of CBD — a cannabidiol substance derived from the cannabis plant that would also likely be federally banned by the new restrictions.

As cannabis and hemp-derived products have become more common throughout the country, Texas Cannabis Policy director Heather Fazio said much of the taboo around their use has fallen away, allowing for the issue to become more bipartisan. The debate at the federal level comes at a moment where the industry is maturing and ready to wade into the world of political lobbying, Fazio said.

“We’ve come to a place, at least in Texas, where THC is a legal commodity that responsible adults are enjoying, and it came about in a way that was much different than many of us would have expected,” Fazio said. “Now, to have this big wall that we hit at the federal level, thank goodness for the one year lead time we have because I think we’re going to have some significant lobbying efforts step up. For the industry, we need to treat this like a political movement.”

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Texas

SMU secures commitment from Texas A&M transfer TE Theo Melin Öhrström

Published

4 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

SMU secures commitment from Texas A&M transfer TE Theo Melin Öhrström

One of the biggest questions facing Rhett Lashlee and his SMU football program this offseason is how the Mustangs will replenish the tight end position.

Not only did SMU’s tight ends coach leave, but the Mustangs are losing their top four tight ends from the 2025 roster. RJ Maryland, Matthew Hibner and Stone Eby all graduated and redshirt sophomore Adam Moore entered the transfer portal.

SMU began its rebuild of the tight ends room with a commitment from Texas A&M transfer Theo Melin Öhrström.

Melin Öhrström entered the portal on Dec. 26 after four years with the Aggies. The Stockholm, Sweden native appeared in 40 games for Texas A&M, catching 29 balls for 352 yards and three touchdowns. In 2025, the 6-foot-6, 257-pound tight end made four starts and caught 19 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.

Melin Öhrström redshirted in 2022, so he has one year of eligibility remaining and will have a chance to secure a bigger role during his final collegiate season. He chose the Mustangs over Houston, Kansas State and Auburn

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Texas

Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Recruiting a running back out of the NCAA transfer portal wasn’t clean and simple after the winter window opened last week, but the Texas Longhorns were able to land a huge commitment from Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown on Thursday.

The 5’9, 196-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining.

Texas offered Brown out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana (Calif.) when he was a top-100 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 3 running back nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Brown committed to home-state USC without taking any other official visits.

Brown’s career with the Trojans didn’t go as planned, however — after flashing as a freshman with 227 yards on 42 carries (5.4 avg) with three touchdowns and 16 receptions for 175 yards (10.97 avg) and three touchdowns, Brown moved to wide receiver as a sophomore and only appeared in two games, recording three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Wanting to play running back again, Brown transferred to Arizona State in 2024, but was limited by a hamstring injury to 48 yards of total offense.

In 2025, though, Brown finally had his breakout season with 186 carries for 1,141 yards and four touchdowns, adding 34 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Brown forced 53 missed tackles last season, 67 percent of the total missed tackles forced by Texas running backs, and more than half of his rushing yardage came after contact.

Brown ran a sub 4.5 40-yard dash and sub-11 100-meter dash in high school and flashed that explosiveness with runs of 75 yards and 88 yards in 2025, so Brown brings the speed that the Longhorns need with 31 yards over 10 yards, as well as proven route-running and pass-catching ability.

At Arizona State, the scheme leaned towards gap runs, but Brown has the skill set to be an excellent outsize zone back if Texas head coach Steve Sarksian decides that he wants to major in that scheme once again.

With one running back secured from the portal, the question becomes whether Sarkisian and new running backs coach Jabbar Juluke want to add a big-bodied back to the roster or are comfortable with rising redshirt sophomore Christian Clark and incoming freshman Derrek Cooper handling that role.

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Texas

Texas leaders react to fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Texas leaders react to fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

article

Texas lawmakers are lighting up social media with opinions about the fatal shooting of a woman in a car in Minneapolis by an ICE officer on Wednesday morning.

Reports from officers differ drastically from those of uninvolved eyewitnesses — the official DHS stance is self-defense against a “domestic terrorist,” while bystanders tell a story of an innocent woman trying to leave peacefully.

The political internet arena Texas is divided along party lines. Republicans generally condemn Minnesota leaders’ reactions to the shooting, while Democrats are calling for ICE to be investigated for the possible murder of a civilian by an anonymous officer.

Texas Republicans react

Among the most vocal of the Texas GOP members after Wednesday’s shooting, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston) was quick to question Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s dismay at the incident. Hunt posted the following to X, formerly Twitter:

“We’ve hit a breaking point in this country when an ICE officer is rammed by a lunatic in an SUV and the Mayor of Minneapolis responds not with condemnation, but by telling federal law enforcement to “get the f*ck out!”

UNITED STATES – JANUARY 22: Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Hunt, currently in the running for U.S. Senate, later reposted a Fox News video of Gov. Tim Walz’ reaction. Hunt compared Walz to Jefferson Davis before posting a full statement later in the evening that reads, in part, as follows:

“The radical left isn’t turning the temperature down, they’re cranking it to 450 degrees. When leaders normalize this kind of rhetoric, the outcome isn’t hypothetical. It’s dangerous. It’s reckless. And it puts lives at risk. If violence follows, responsibility doesn’t belong to the officers enforcing the law, it belongs to the politicians who lit the fuse.”

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was more to the point with his criticism of Minnesota leaders, reposting a different video of Walz and referencing the recent fraud scandal within the state.

Walz in the video said Minnesota is “at war with the federal government.” Cruz replied, “Is that why y’all stole $9 billion?”

Texas Democrats react

The other side:

State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), another candidate for the same U.S. Senate seat as Hunt, rang in from the other side of the aisle.

“At our town hall last night, I called for a full investigation into ICE,” Talarico said in his post on X. “Today, an ICE agent shot and killed a civilian. We should haul these masked men before Congress so the world can see their faces.”

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a campaign event in Houston, Texas, US, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Talarico is jumping into the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas, taking on a former

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, yet another Senate hopeful, also expressed his ire for the actions in Minneapolis.

“As a civil rights attorney, I’m outraged by today’s ICE shooting in Minnesota that took a woman’s life,” Allred said on X. “No family should lose a loved one this way. No community should live in this fear. ICE has become a rogue agency — operating recklessly, terrorizing communities, and now taking lives. To every community terrorized by these tactics: I see you. I stand with you. And I won’t stop fighting until you’re safe.”

Minneapolis fatal ICE shooting

The backstory:

An ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.

Federal officials are claiming the agent acted in self-defense, but Minnesota leaders disagree. The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. in the area of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. The woman died at the hospital.

Witnesses told FOX Local that a woman got into a red vehicle and there was one ICE agent on either side of the vehicle trying to get in, and a third ICE agent came and tried to yank on the driver’s side door. One of the agents on the driver’s side door backed away, and then opened fire, shooting three times through the driver’s side window, witnesses said. One witness said the vehicle wasn’t moving toward the agents. However, federal officials said ICE officers were “conducting targeted operations” when “rioters” blocked officers. One of the “rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

Officials said an ICE officer who was “fearing for his life” fired “defensive shots” to save himself and his officers, killing the woman.

A video of the shooting shows a red Honda Pilot blocking the roadway as an ICE squad approaches. When agents approach the vehicle, the Pilot attempts to drive away, moving towards an agent. When that happens, the agent fires three shots at the driver. Police say the driver was struck in the head. The agent appears to mostly avoid the vehicle as it speeds past and ends up crashing into a parked vehicle.

The Source: Information in this report comes from public statements made by Texas lawmakers on social media. Background comes from FOX 9 coverage in Minneapolis.

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