AUSTIN, Texas - Cracking down on cannabis is one of the top priorities for Texas Republican leaders in the current legislative session.
What we know:
Senate Bill 3 would outlaw all consumable forms of THC from being sold in Texas.
It’s largely a response to a 2019 law that allowed for the commercialization of hemp, which includes products with THC under 0.3%.
However, the law came with some unintended consequences, such as the sale of Delta 8 and 9 products like gummies, as well as other chemical variations on THC that are more potent.
What they're saying:
"When we wrote the rules, we weren't fully aware. No one had heard of Delta Eight or Delta Nine," said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
Miller argues the end result has been an unregulated market where people don’t always know what they’re getting.
"It's just kind of wild, wild West. There is no oversight. There is no regulation," said Miller. "We can’t have that."
Miller wants lawmakers to be careful to ensure any THC ban doesn’t impact medicinal use of cannabis.
"There’s a lot of people that medical marijuana helps—the PTSD, the glaucoma, cancer patients," said Miller. "Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater, as the saying goes."
