New Texas Emergency Rules Ban Hemp Sales To People Under 21 In Line With Governor’s Executive Order

Texas officials have quickly adopted changes to the state’s hemp laws,
consistent with the governor’s recent executive order, making it so people
under the age of 21 will no longer be permitted to purchase consumable hemp
products.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) issued an emergency rule
that took effect on Tuesday, stipulating that no businesses licensed under
the agency may sell cannabis to those under 21. Doing so will now result in
an automatic license or permit cancellation.

Failing to check IDs to ensure that a patron is of age will also carry the
penalty of an automatic license cancellation.

“This emergency adoption is necessary to help prevent minors from accessing
and using consumable hemp products (CHP) that will negatively impact the
minors’ health, which in turn negatively impacts the general welfare and
public safety,” TABC said in a notice.

And while it was just two weeks ago that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed an
executive order laying out new rules for the hemp market, the agency said
that the rules are being adopted on an “emergency basis” and take effect
immediately “because an imminent peril to the public health, safety, or
welfare requires adoption on fewer than 30 days’ notice.”

“The harms associated with cannabis/THC use by minors are well documented,”
it said.

State statute says emergency rules can only be effective for up to 180
days, and TACB said it ‘intends to propose these or similar rules under the
normal rulemaking process and will consider any additional action necessary
in the event unforeseen issues arise with the adopted sections. Future
rulemaking may also provide additional guidance.”

While the rules are actively in effect, the agency noted that it will begin
enforcement on October 1.

The Texas Cannabis Collective, which strongly resisted recent proposals in
the legislature to ban hemp with any amount of THC, said the TABC action
“follows Governor Abbott’s decisive steps earlier this year” when he vetoed
a Senate bill to recriminalize consumable cannabinoid products.

Meanwhile, Texas officials have separately taken another step toward
implementing a law to significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana
program—proposing rules to to let physicians recommend new qualifying
conditions for cannabis and to create standards for allowable inhalation
devices in line with legislation enacted by lawmakers and the governor
earlier this year.

Last month, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) also posted a set of
additional rules in the Register to increase the number of licensed medical
marijuana dispensaries in Texas under the recently enacted legislation.

DPS will ultimately be issuing 12 new licenses for dispensaries across the
state. Currently there are only three. The additional licensees will go
through a competitive process, with officials prioritizing Texas’s public
health regions to optimize access.

The first round of licenses will be awarded to nine of 139 applicants who
submitted their forms during an earlier application window in 2023. DPS
will select those nine licensees on December 1. The 2023 applicants that
didn’t receive a license, as well as any new prospective licensees, will
have another shot at getting their license during a second round where
awardees will be announced on April 1, 2026.

DPS has separately previewed future rulemaking to comply with the medical
marijuana expansion law.

That includes proposals to establish “security requirements for dispensing
organization satellite locations if approved by the department,” creating
rules to revoke licenses for dispensaries that fail to dispense cannabis
within two years of a license issuance and setting a timeline for
“reviewing and taking action on dispensing organization licenses.”


*— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug
policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon
supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps,
charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.*


*Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on
Patreon to get access. —*

In Texas, another bill, HB 195, introduced by Rep. Jessica González (D), would
have legalized marijuana for people 21 and older, allowing possession of up
to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, with no more than 15 grams of that amount being
in concentrated form—but it did not advance.

*Image element courtesy of AnonMoos.*

The post New Texas Emergency Rules Ban Hemp Sales To People Under 21 In
Line With Governor’s Executive Order appeared first on Marijuana Moment.