A Texas appeals court ruled last week that officials can enforce the state’s ban on smokable hemp products amid ongoing legal challenges, KUT News reports.
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals’ decision follows weeks of back-and-forth rulings on the ban, which was originally scheduled to take effect on March 31.
The ban extends the legal definition of THC to cover THCA, which converts to delta-9 THC when it is decarboxylated, or burned. Those products include most hemp flower pre-rolls and concentrates, which are two of the most popular hemp products in Texas. The new regulations also hike the cost of hemp retailer licenses from $150 per year to $5,000 per location, and manufacturer license fees increased from $250 per year to $10,000.
Friday’s ruling rescinds an emergency injunction ordered by a lower court on behalf of hemp industry representatives as they await trial, which was set tentatively for July 27.
The plaintiffs claim the rules are an “unconstitutional occupation tax” that would dismantle the Texas hemp industry.
