The San Antonio Police Department has started enforcing a new Texas law that bans a wide swath of popular hemp products.
Starting Friday, products containing cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC and THCP were banned in Texas. Carrying them is now a felony.
Those products include many popular edibles, beverages and smokable hemp products previously sold by retailers across the state.
“The San Antonio Police Department will follow Texas law and will enforce the reclassification of Delta-8, Delta-10 and other hemp-derived cannabinoids as Scheduled I controlled substances,” Sgt. Ariel Hernandez told the San Antonio Current in a statement.
Still, after a yearslong court battle between the hemp industry and the state, delta-9 THC will remain legal, as long as they have less than 0.3% THC by dry weight.
Delta-9 THC is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis and is responsible for the intoxicating effects commonly associated with marijuana. Delta-8 THC has similar, less-potent effects.
In 2021, the Texas Department of State Health Services recognized only delta-9 THC as legal while effectively making all other intoxicating THC variants illegal by classifying them as schedule I drugs. The state’s hemp industry sued over the rule change, setting off a five-year legal battle.
In May, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state could enforce its ban of all THC variants but delta-9. The new rules kicked in Friday.
Now, possessing one of the banned THC products could mean up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine for carrying less than one gram.