Bill to expand Texas’ medical marijuana program heads to Senate
House Bill 46 would increase the number of health conditions eligible and would offer smokeable products under the state’s medical marijuana program. Full Story
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![Workers sort strawberry-passionfruit CBD gummies at the Texas Original facility on Sept. 26, 2024. Texas Original is Texas’ first licensed medical cannabis distributor.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House panel advances THC bill with stricter regulations — but no ban — for hemp industry
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called banning THC products a top priority. The latest draft of the lower chamber’s THC regulation bill would allow retailers to continue selling edibles and drinks. Full Story
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![Restart CBD displays beverages in a fridge on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Beverages are a really interesting opportunity for this industry as they are accessible like edibles, but also allow for people to consume drinks that aren’t alcohol but still have some sort of benefit.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’ll push for special session if THC ban, bail changes fail
Only Gov. Greg Abbott can call for a special session. But in his role presiding over the Texas Senate, Patrick can block any bill from passing, giving him leverage to compel overtime sessions by killing must-pass legislation. Full Story
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![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Hemp industry pushes back against Senate bill to ban THC
There is little doubt that a ban will sail through the Senate. But its prospects are far less certain in the House. Full Story
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![Various Delta 8 THC products at a Valero station on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 in Spring Branch.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate to pursue ban on THC products next year, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says
Patrick contends retailers have exploited a law passed in 2019 to sell unregulated and potentially harmful consumable tetrahydrocannabinol products. Full Story
![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton adds Dallas to list of cities he's sued over marijuana decriminalization
Dallas is the sixth Texas city the attorney general has sued this year over marijuana decriminalization measures that he says conflicts with state law. Full Story
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![FILE: Recently harvested marijuana flowers are hung up to dry in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Delta-8 hemp and Texas medical marijuana industries to face off in the upcoming legislative session
Medical marijuana providers say they must operate under strict rules while hemp products like delta-8 can proliferate. Full Story
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![The Texas Original cannabis farm on Sept. 26, 2024. The red light is an experimental form of growth where the light bleaches the flower of the plant.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
State appeals court strikes down Austin’s marijuana decriminalization ordinance
A state appeals court ruled that Austin’s voter-approved ordinance obstructed the enforcement of state drug laws. The court rejected a similar ordinance in San Marcos last week. Full Story
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![A sign asking for the decriminalization of marijuana is posted outside of an event hosted by Ground Game in Harker Heights on Dec. 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Judge upholds Austin ordinance decriminalizing pot
The Texas attorney general accused Austin of violating state law after voters in 2022 approved an ordinance decriminalizing marijuana possession. Full Story
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![An Austin police officer on patrol in downtown Austin on Aug. 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Dallas voters could get the chance to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana
Other cities have passed similar measures, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued to block them from going into effect. Full Story
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![A view of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge from The Tower Club on the 48th floor of the Santander Tower in downtown Dallas, on Nov. 07, 2023. Texas metros have a glut of vacant offices space driven by the rise of remote work, overbuilding and other factors during the pandemic. One option companies are doing to combat the changes, is to convert office space into residential housing.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Strict rules over delta-8 and delta-9 likely for Texas’ booming hemp industry
Lawmakers are struggling to balance demands for medicinal cannabis products with a wildly growing market that is outpacing meaningful regulation. Full Story
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![A product containing Delta-8 at Oasis CBD Shop in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas leaders zero in on exploding hemp market
Thousands of hemp dispensaries have sprung up in Texas in the years since consumable hemp became legal. Full Story
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![Owner Shayda Torabi, poses for a photo inside of Restart CBD on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Torabi, along with her two sisters, become curious about the properties of the plant after Torabi had an accident and started using CBD as a solution to manage her pain.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock voters reject attempt to end arrests for possessing small amounts of marijuana
A ballot proposition would have instructed police not to arrest people who have four ounces or less of marijuana. Full Story
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![Supporters of the Freedom Act Lubbock sign a flag showing their solidarity with Prop A at a watch party on May 4, 2024.]()
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Legalized marijuana supporters hope voters in this Texas city will send a message to state lawmakers
There is no process in Texas for a voter-driven statewide referendum. So, supporters are going city by city to build statewide momentum. Full Story
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![A shirt promotes the legalization of marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock group pushes forward with marijuana ballot question despite Paxton lawsuit
The Texas attorney general has sued five other cities that have passed similar policies decriminalizing marijuana. Full Story
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![Nathan Lewis gets signatures on a petition to to legalize marijuana from Andrew Alcala, center, and Yvette Castillo, right, at the South Plains Fair Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton sues five Texas cities that decriminalized marijuana
Voters in Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton approved the policies in 2022. The attorney general said the ordinances are inconsistent with laws enacted by the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![An Austin police officer in Southwest Austin on Dec. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Lubbock voters will decide whether to decriminalize marijuana in 2024
Voters in several Texas cities have sought to decriminalize marijuana. However, their efforts have been met by reluctant city councils that say they can’t go against state law. Full Story
![A shirt promotes the legalization of marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Residents in one of Texas’ most populous cities are working to decriminalize marijuana
Home to more than 260,000 people, the West Texas town of Lubbock is no stranger to passing local laws by petition. In 2021, residents overwhelmingly approved a local ban on abortion. Full Story
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![Giselle Ramirez stands with her clipboard of signatures to support the petition to legalize marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
In a Central Texas county, high schoolers are jailed on felony charges for vaping what could be legal hemp
Police often can’t tell if a cannabis vape pen is derived from marijuana or legal hemp, like the delta-8 products on display in gas stations across Texas. That doesn’t stop them from making felony arrests in high schools. Full Story
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![Miles Leon poses for a portrait inside his home on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 near Bulverde, TX. Leon was caught using a vape pen police say had THC but Leon claims had Delta-8. Leon could be charged with a felony for possession if tests show it was THC as a 17 year old in Texas Leon would be charged as an adult.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas veterans vow to protect the state’s hemp market as one state lawmaker hopes to crack down
The new delta-8 hemp products, which are widely available, can produce a high similar to marijuana’s. State Sen. Charles Perry said he and his peers never intended for such products to reach the market. Full Story
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![Dave Walden, wearing a Veterans of Foreign Wars cap demonstrates how the CBD vending machine works by purchasing a product, in Leander on Nov. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune