Hemp hearing to decide cannabis sales in Texas

Key Points:

• A court hearing in Austin will determine whether Texans can continue buying cannabis flower, pre-rolls, and concentrates under the state's hemp laws, with a temporary order allowing sales set to expire Friday at 5 p.m.
• Texas hemp businesses argue that new state health rules, which count THCA toward total Delta-9 THC limits, threaten a multibillion-dollar market and could force small shops to close, while the state says the rules clarify THC measurement to prevent highly psychoactive products from being sold as hemp.
• The hearing also addresses sharply increased retail and manufacturing license fees under the new rules, which hemp businesses say are economically devastating and inadequately analyzed by the state.
• A medical marijuana company supports the state's position, claiming many THCA products marketed as hemp are actually high-potency marijuana competing unfairly with the regulated medical marijuana system.
• The judge will decide whether to issue a longer-lasting injunction to keep parts of the new hemp rules on hold, with the ruling expected to have significant impact on the Texas hemp industry and consumer access to cannabis products.