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Texas Medical Marijuana Industry Targets Hemp Restrictions
Texas' medical marijuana dispensaries entered into this year's legislative session with a two-prong strategy to expand: to loosen the state's rules on their industry that has made the program largely inaccessible to those who need it and to eliminate the competition, consumable hemp, which has been allowed to proliferate unregulated, cannibalizing users and profits.
The medical marijuana industry, also known as the Compassionate Use Program, notched victories on both fronts with state lawmakers, but, on the latter, failed to win over the man who has the ultimate say — Gov. Greg Abbott.
Now that the governor has vetoed a bill that would have criminalized the sale and possession of hemp-derived THC, medical marijuana dispensaries fear they can't continue to operate if Texas doesn't agree to heavily regulate the hemp industry or at least, give the medical program the same freedom.
"I was surprised, just extremely surprised and borderline in disbelief when I heard about the veto," said Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original, a Central Texas medical marijuana company. "The expansion [to the medical marijuana program] was meant to include the hemp restrictions."
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