The lawmakers reasoned, that expanding the medical cannabis industry could offset the removal of hemp products from public access.
Stephen Simpson of The Texas Tribune
Texas lawmakers this year heavily focused their drug policy agenda on banning tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, products in the state.
Senate Bill 3 which bans consumption of hemp products containing synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as Delta-8, is a top priority for the Lt. Governor. Dan Patrick, a Republican who has frequently denounced its harmful effects on kids. House Bill 46, which expanded the medical marijuana program in California by adding new conditions and providing additional products for veterans with chronic illnesses and THC-users, was also approved.
As lawmakers argued that removing hemp from public use could be balanced by increasing the medical marijuana market, both bills became a part of the same bill.
Texas, while focusing mainly on THC during this legislative session, quietly passed Senate Bill 23,08 which created a state funded consortium for the research of a psychedelic called ibogaine. Clinical trials will test if ibogaine can be used to treat substance abuse disorders or other mental conditions.
But multiple bills, which would have reduced the number of overdose deaths this year, failed to make any headway. House Bill (1644) would have, for example removed test strips for fentanyl as well as xylazine – a veterinary drug sedative known also by the name “tranq” – from the list banned drugs paraphernalia.
The debate on hemp
Texas lawmakers recognized the possibility of boosting the state’s agriculture market by allowing hemp products made from cannabis plants containing less than 0.3% THC.
SB 3 is aiming to close down the hemp industry, which generates an estimated $8 billion in revenue and 50,000 jobs. This ban will take place this September.
The hemp industry, say critics, has taken advantage of a loophole created by the new law in 2019. More than 8,500 retailers are now selling edibles, drinks and vapes laced with THC.
A proposed law will ban all hemp-derived products that are contaminated with delta-8 or any other synthetic cannabinoid. CBD and CBG that are non-intoxicating or psychoactive would still be legal.
If found in possession, a person could receive a $500 fine. For repeat offenders, higher fines and prison time are possible.
Hemp advocates and industry leaders have denied harmful intent and are more in favour of regulations than a complete ban.
Parents of special-needs children, veterans and older Texans have discussed the advantages of hemp. They talked about its ease of accessibility, product variety, lower cost and low prices. Parents who are concerned about the safety of their children from hemp recreational use have called for a ban.
Texas Hemp Business Council reports that they delivered to Abbott’s Office earlier this week 5,000 letters, as well as a petition, signed by more than 120,000 individuals, asking the Governor to veto Bill. Abbott will have until the 22nd of June to make a decision on whether or not to veto this bill.
Medical marijuana expands its use
In Texas, licensed medical cannabis providers must house all operations—including cannabis cultivation, processing, extracting, manufacturing, testing and dispensing—under one roof.
As state regulations prohibit the stockpiling of medical cannabis in more than one location, all products must be delivered from a central dispensary. Any prescriptions scheduled for pickup outside the central dispensary must be driven daily to and from the pickup location—sometimes hundreds of miles round-trip.
The medical marijuana market in Texas is a small one, and the products are more expensive.
HB 46 aims at helping by expanding the program so that it includes more popular products, such as prescription inhalers, vaping devices and off-site storage, and adding nine dispensers to the total of 12. It adds to that list traumatic head injuries, chronic illness, Crohn’s disease, and terminal diseases.
From the 2015 dispenser list, the first three will be picked and released to the public.
If Abbott signs the bill into law, then it will take effect on September 1.
Psychedelics research
SB 2308 was one of the drug-related laws that got less attention. It will turn Texas into a center for research, production, distribution, and treatment of ibogaine. The goal is to create a consortium of higher education institutions and drug developers as well as nonprofits and other stakeholders in order to obtain FDA approval.
Ibogaine has long been used by shamans to create hallucinations. Ibogaine has long been banned in most countries. However, scientists have recently revealed that it can be used to treat brain injury, addiction and PTSD in small doses.
This bill would give Texas an interest in future revenues that could be generated by the state if it develops a medical application for ibogaine.
A $50 million budget from the general fund of the state will finance this program.
Drug overdose policy is less important
Fentanyl has no odor or taste, and is often mixed with other drugs. It’s been responsible for the death of over 7,000 Texans during the past six years.
Fentanyl testing strips are the most affordable and easy way to detect overdoses. However, for a second time the Senate has rejected legislation to make them legal.
HB1644, which legalized the opioid drug test strips, was never heard in the Senate despite being unanimously approved in the House.
Drug testing strips are criticized for encouraging drug use. However, advocates say they encourage people to quit when they start thinking about their safety.
Senate Bill No. 1732 also failed to receive any committee consideration. It would have enabled nurses and physician’s assistants, as well as physicians, to prescribe methadone, buprenorphine and other medication-assisted therapies for opioid abuse disorders.
House Bill 4783 is a smaller step taken by lawmakers in order to combat overdoses. It requires that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission prepare a two-year report for legislators to assess the distribution of overdose-reversing drugs like Narcan. This report must include a state-wide goal and an estimation of the insufficiency in current supplies, as well as a plan for addressing overdoses.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/06/texas-hemp-marijuana-drugs-policy-legislature/.
The Texas Tribune’s nonpartisan, member-supported media outlet informs and engages Texans in state politics. Find out more on texastribune.org.
Key GOP Members, including a member who supports marijuana legalization, defend efforts to ban hemp products
Side Pocket Images. Image courtesy Chris Wallis.