Texas Lawmakers Passed Bills To Expand Medical Marijuana, Ban Hemp And Support Psychedelic Research This Session

*Lawmakers reasoned that removing hemp options from the general public
could be offset by expanding the medical marijuana industry.*

*By Stephen Simpson, 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 prohibits the possession of consumable hemp products
that contain any synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8, was a
priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who often denounced the effects of
the drug on children. As a concession of sorts to veterans and THC users
with chronic conditions, House Bill 46 also passed, expanding the state’s
medical marijuana program by providing more products to users and adding
more qualifying conditions.

Both bills found themselves tied together as lawmakers reasoned that
removing hemp options from the general public could be offset by expanding
the medical marijuana industry.

While the focus was primarily on THC this session, Texas quietly passed Senate
Bill 2308, which would create a state-funded consortium to research a
psychedelic drug called ibogaine. The clinical trials would test whether
ibogaine is a viable treatment for substance use disorders and other mental
health conditions.

However, multiple bills that could have prevented overdose deaths failed to
gain traction this year. House Bill 1644, for example, would have removed
testing strips for fentanyl and xylazine, a veterinary sedative also known
as “tranq,” from the list of banned drug paraphernalia.

*The hemp debate*

In 2019, Texas lawmakers embraced the potential to boost the state’s
agricultural market by legalizing hemp products derived from cannabis
plants with less than 0.3 percent of THC.

Six years later, SB 3 intends to shut down the $8 billion hemp industry and
cut its estimated 50,000 jobs when the ban takes effect in September.

Critics say the hemp industry has exploited a loophole in the 2019 law to
the tune of more than 8,000 retailers now selling THC-laced edibles,
drinks, vapes and flower buds.

The proposed law would ban consumable hemp products that contain any
synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8. Non-intoxicating and
non-psychoactive CBD or CBG would remain legal.

People found in possession of a product with those intoxicating cannabis
compounds could face a fine of up to $500. Higher fines and jail time would
be possible for repeat offenders.

Hemp industry leaders and advocates have denied any harmful intentions and
are in favor of regulations on the industry rather than a ban.

Aging Texans, veterans, and parents of children with mental illness or
special needs have spoken out about the benefits of hemp, including the
ease of access, the variety of products available to them and the lower
price. In contrast, concerned parents demanded a ban because they fear
children would be harmed from recreational use.

The Texas Hemp Business Council reported that it delivered 5,000 letters to
Abbott’s office earlier this week, along with a petition signed by over
120,000 people, urging the governor to veto the bill. Abbott has until June
22 to decide on a veto.

*Expanding medical marijuana*

In Texas, licensed medical cannabis providers must house all
operations—including cannabis cultivation, processing, extracting,
manufacturing, testing and dispensing—under one roof.

State regulations also prohibit inventory storage of medical cannabis
products in multiple locations, so products must be distributed from the
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.

This has made their products more expensive and limited where the medical
marijuana program can reach, hampering the small medical cannabis market in
Texas.

HB 46 aims to help by expanding the program to include more popular
products such as prescribed inhalers and vaping devices, allow off-site
storage and add nine dispensers, bringing the total to 12. It also adds
traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease and terminal
illnesses to the list of qualifying conditions.

The first three dispensers will be selected from the previously submitted
2015 list of dispensers and then made available to the public.

The expansion of the medical marijuana program will go into effect in
September if Abbott signs it into law.

*Psychedelics research*

Among drug-related bills that received less attention was SB 2308, which
will make Texas a hub for ibogaine-related research, development,
treatment, manufacturing and distribution. This will be accomplished by
creating a consortium that includes higher education institutions, drug
developers, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to secure U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approval for a treatment.

Ibogaine is a psychedelic found in the roots of the iboga plant, primarily
found in Africa, and has been used for centuries during shamanistic rituals
due to its ability to induce hallucinations in large doses. The drug has
been illegal in many countries, but scientists recently announced a study
finding that, in low doses, ibogaine might have beneficial uses to treat
addiction, PTSD and brain injuries.

The bill could essentially give Texas a stake in any future revenue that
may come from the state developing a medical use for ibogaine.

The program will be funded through a $50 million appropriation from the
state’s general fund.

*Less emphasis on drug overdose policies*

Fentanyl, a potent drug commonly mixed with other substances and has caused
the deaths of more than 7,000 Texans in the last six years, is odorless and
tasteless, making detection nearly impossible without specialized equipment.

Fentanyl test strips are among the cheapest and easiest ways to prevent
overdoses, but for a third time, legislation to legalize them failed in the
Senate.

HB 1644, which would have legalized opioid drug testing strips, never got a
hearing in the Senate despite passing unanimously in the House.

The main argument against drug testing strips has been that it encourages
continued drug use, but advocates deny this claim, saying that once someone
is thinking about their safety, it is by the time they are getting close to
quitting.

Senate Bill 1732, which would have allowed nurses and physician assistants
to prescribe medication-assisted treatment, like methadone and
buprenorphine, for opioid use disorders, also never received a committee
hearing.

A smaller step lawmakers made to address overdoses comes in House Bill 4783,
which requires the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to prepare a
report every two years for lawmakers to evaluate the distribution of opioid
overdose reversal drugs, like Narcan. The report will be required to create
a statewide goal for opioid reversal drugs and include an estimate of
insufficiencies in the current supply and a plan to address overdoses in
high-risk areas.

*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 is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing
and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at
texastribune.org.*

Key GOP Congressmen, Including Pro-Marijuana Legalization Member, Defend
Effort to Ban Consumable Hemp Products

*Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.*

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And Support Psychedelic Research This Session appeared first on Marijuana
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