When it comes to regulating consumable hemp-derived products in Texas, there’s no sheriff in town.
That’s according to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who used to own a hemp farm, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who’s pushing for a ban to bring in line what they see as a Wild West for THC.
Lounges, dispensaries and cafes vending cannabis and cannabis-based products continue to sprout in cities all over the Lone Star State — including in San Antonio. There are nearly 8,000 registered hemp retailers in Texas, with 800 licensed businesses operating in San Antonio, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
One such retailer is Lazydaze — a coffee lounge that legally sells intoxicating, hemp-derived cannabis products — which recently opened a shop on the St. Mary’s Strip.
If you’re scratching your head over how a place like this can lawfully operate in Texas, the answer is simple: loopholes.
In Texas, two critical pieces of legislation bind cannabis laws: state House Bill 1325 and the Texas Compassionate Use Act. The latter permits licensed physicians to prescribe “low THC” cannabis to patients with certain health conditions. House Bill 1325 allows the production and sale of consumable hemp products with a concentration of 0.3% delta-9 THC or less by “dry weight” standards. Any more of that psychoactive ingredient, and the plant is legally classified as marijuana — illegal within the state of Texas.
However, “that phrasing allows for several loopholes,” said Thomas Petrini, 29, manager of Lazydaze in Pflugerville.
H/T: www.expressnews.com
