CANYON, Texas (KVII) — A new Texas law cracking down on hemp-derived THC products is already affecting businesses in Canyon, with shop owners warning consumers could also face severe criminal penalties.

The law bans all synthetically created forms of THC, including delta-8, delta-10, THCP and THCA flower. The only exception is delta-9 products containing less than 0.3% THC by dry weight.

Brandon Summers, executive director of Canyon Hemp Company, said the new law is expected to have a major impact on the cannabis industry across Texas.

“The industry is probably going to lose about 60% of the jobs in cannabis across the state,” Summers said. “That’s also 8,500 businesses that operate in the state of Texas. They’re more than likely going to have to shut down at least, probably 60% of them, which it seems to have been the goal for the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Summers said most of the shop’s customers use hemp-derived products for medical purposes rather than recreational use.

“I think that we are unique in that we have an aging population that drives here. Our average customer is 50 or older,” Summers said. “Many of them use it as an alternative to painkillers they might receive through a pharmacy. For many of them, this is their medicine.”

Under the law, Texans caught possessing illegal THC products could face severe criminal penalties, including life in prison in some circumstances, depending on the offense.

Summers said beginning Aug. 1, consumers seeking relief through hemp-derived products could suddenly face criminal charges.

“As of Aug. 1, all those people are now criminals for trying to seek relief through a natural remedy,” Summers said. “The synthetics, we’ve agreed, are not something we ever really carried. But I would argue they have a right as Americans to buy them, and if we’re going to have a free and open market like the people who made the legislation say, then they should still be allowed to buy those products because they’re not inherently harmful.”

New Texas hemp THC ban hits local businesses, limits delta-8 and other products (KVII)