The Texas hemp industry is riding a post-election high as Tuesday’s results ushered in new state leaders who appear more friendly toward THC.
At the same time, a San Antonio councilman is pushing the city to help make the case for legalization of cannabis, not just hemp.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive component of marijuana. While marijuana is still illegal, the legalization of hemp under the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill and a 2019 Texas law inadvertently paved the way for a multibillion-dollar industry of hemp-derived products that give users a “high.”
Gov. Greg Abbott signed off on a THC vape ban last session but vetoed a wider THC ban championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), a powerful and vocal opponent to THC and marijuana.
Even still, state regulators have cracked down on various forms of THC.
“One minute things are on the shelves; one minute things aren’t on the shelves. It was going back and forth as we went to trial and as these new rules came out,” said Mark Bordas, executive director of the Texas Hemp Business Council.
But now the industry isn’t the only one shaken up.
“We had been driven to the edge of the cliff by certain political figures in the state, and as a result of the recent elections, many of them paid the price,” Bordas said.
Patrick, who famously said, “I’m not going to legalize marijuana in Texas. And if people want to vote me out of office for that, so be it,” lost his reelection by six points to Vikki Goodwin, who campaigned, in part, on the THC issue.
A list of “cannabis priorities” on Goodwin’s social media include cannabis, hemp and THC legalization, reversing the regulatory crackdown on THC, and regulation including age limits, labeling and testing standards.
Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa posted a video to her social media criticizing the state regulations and promising to give “the people of Texas a right to vote on the future of THC.”
“We’ve had some communications with the incoming lieutenant governor’s camp. Very optimistic there, and yeah, we look forward to what the future holds,” Bordas told KSAT, saying it was a “good day for hemp.”
Asked how confident he was that the full range of hemp-based THC products would wind up back on their shelf, Bordas estimated “around seven out of 10.”
“There’s no such thing as a 10 out of 10 in our industry, and I’m just talking about the legislative process, because so many things can happen,” he said. “But as I said, when we started this, I remain optimistic and there will be a push to regain certain items that were lost.”
It’s possible there could be a push to go further, too. San Antonio Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) filed an official request for the city to look into the economic impact and potential opportunities for cannabis legalization.
The end goal, he said, is to make the case to legislators that legalization would be a positive benefit to the city and state.
“Regardless of what happened on Tuesday, this was going to be a part of my plan,” he said, “but I think right now there’s really momentum for legalization, and there’s energy behind it. and I think there’s both a bipartisan interest from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike.”
A federal ban on intoxicating hemp products still looms on the horizon, scheduled to go into effect in December.
However, Bordas believes the Trump administration supports extending the deadline for hemp.
“Given where the Trump administration is, I can’t see him trying to come in and enforce, regardless what happens out in D.C. ... trying to impose their will here in Texas. And I don’t see our governor, or lieutenant governor, looking to enforce that either,” Bordas said. “So what we do in Texas is going to be the rules of the game for hemp moving forward.”
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