Denton, Texas — Texas state senators said they intend to again pursue a ban on hemp-derived THC products when the Legislature reconvenes in 2027, reviving an effort that did not pass in the last session. The pledge came during a Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee interim hearing examining the societal impacts of THC consumption.
State Sen. Charles Perry, a Lubbock Republican, said he is frustrated with hemp-derived THC products that have filled smoke-shop shelves and pledged to file a bill banning them, while also seeking better tracking of THC exposure incidents and their costs. Perry said the only THC products that should be sold in Texas are those from the Texas Compassionate Use Program, the state's medical marijuana program.
The Texas Compassionate Use Program has grown from four registered patients when it opened in 2017 to nearly 158,000 as of June, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. An expansion bill passed last year by the 89th Legislature added chronic pain to the list of eligible conditions.
> "My patience has run thin," State Sen. Charles Perry said of the unregulated hemp market.
