Total ban on hemp-derived THC passes Texas Senate

A total ban on hemp-derived THC products championed by one of Texas’s most powerful politicians has passed the state Senate.

Senate Bill 3 passed on a 24-7 vote on Wednesday, the Texas Tribune reported.

If signed into law, the bill would outlaw hemp-derived THC products currently sold at more than 8,300 stores around the state.

Separate legislation introduced but yet to be voted on in the state House, House Bill 28, would impose tougher rules but would not ban hemp-derived THC.

“We’re going to protect the people of Texas from THC,” Republican Gov. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who called Senate Bill 3 one of the “top five” bills of his 17-year legislative career, told Texas media outlets.

It’s unclear when the House will take up that bill or what further action would be taken to reconcile the competing bills before a final version is sent to Gov. Greg Abbott.

Republican state Sen. Charles Perry, the lead sponsor of SB3, said his House colleagues are “philosophically aligned” on the issue, according to the Tribune.

With a medical marijuana program limited to CBD oil, Texas is considered the top market for hemp products in the country.

State hemp companies are urging lawmakers to pass regulations such as age restrictions and tamper-proof packaging instead of a total ban.

Following the lead of Congress’ 2018 Farm Bill, Texas lawmakers passed a law in 2019 legalizing industrial hemp.

And Texas, like many other states, then experienced an unexpected proliferation of intoxicating hemp-derived THC products.