Texas
Texas moves to close cannabis loophole
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced on Wednesday that a new bill will be introduced to the state legislature banning the sale of “all forms of consumable Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)” anywhere in the state.
Patrick said that retailers in Texas have been selling “life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public” and argued some of these have been targeted at children.
In 2019, Texas legalized the sale and consumption of hemp, a weaker form of cannabis containing a maximum of 0.3 percent THC, bringing the state in line with a federal law passed the previous year. However, marijuana, which has a higher THC content, remains illegal. The legislation produced a large legal hemp industry in Texas, with the product being sold in a range of forms, including vapes, gummies, drinks and creams.
Announcing the new legislation, Senate Bill 3, Patrick said: “In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1325, by Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde, to bolster agriculture in Texas. Part of that bill allowed for the commercialization of hemp which might include un-removable non-intoxicating trace amounts of Delta 9 THC.”
However, Patrick argued this legal change was exploited by unscrupulous retailers, some of whom sold products with a THC content several times higher than the marijuana typically sold by drug dealers.
“Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible. These stores not only sold to adults, but they targeted Texas children and exposed them to dangerous levels of THC,” he said.
“Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up in communities across the state, and many sell products, including beverages, that have three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer.”
Patrick added that Senate Bill 3 would be carried by state Senator Charles Perry, a fellow Republican, and expressed confidence it will have “broad bipartisan support in the Senate.”
Newsweek reached out to Patrick and Perry for comment on Thursday via email outside of regular office hours.
Brett Hondow/GETTY
In a May 2024 report, the Baker Institute, a non-partisan think tank based out of Rice University in Houston, said Texas lawmakers “did not anticipate the massive market for hemp-derived cannabinoids” produced by the 2019 legalization.
Consequently, they said, “From 2020 to 2023, sales of hemp-derived cannabinoids (excluding the non-impairing cannabidiol) increased by 1,283%, reaching a value of $2.78 billion last year.”
The Baker Institute argued against making the sale of all hemp products illegal, arguing this would be “certain to fail” and would force the industry underground.
“As of April 2024, Texas had over 7,000 registered hemp dispensaries. More than 50,000 Texans are estimated to be employed through the hemp sector,” they said. “A state ban would ruin this industry, but it would not reduce consumer demand for hemp-derived cannabinoids. Instead, consumers would turn to the illicit hemp market that would inevitably form in the wake of state prohibition.”
On November 5, voters in Nebraska voted to legalize medical marijuana, though attempts to legalize marijuana for recreational use failed in Florida, South Dakota and North Dakota.
In Florida, the move had majority support but failed to pass the 60 percent threshold to become law.
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.
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