{"id":210753,"date":"2026-03-19T02:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/210753\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T02:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:12:09","slug":"texas-hemp-regulations-set-to-take-effect-march-31-local-shops-brace-for-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/210753\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas hemp regulations set to take effect March 31, local shops brace for impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage<\/a>) \u2014 New hemp regulations in Texas are set to take effect at the end of the month, changing how THC is measured and updating licensing rules.<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-56, which was adopted by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The changes are expected to affect hemp retailers across the state.<\/p>\n

For local shops like Full Spectrum, the rules could make some of their most popular products illegal after March 31.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this industry, THCA products are probably some of the top-selling products for all of us, so you\u2019re literally banning our number one products,\u201d said Allen Kirk, managing partner at Full Spectrum.<\/p>\n

According to the Texas Hemp Business Council<\/a> website, the new regulations include an updated testing process that now counts THCA as part of \u201cTotal THC\u201d, the combination of Delta-9 THC and THCA, the natural compound in hemp. This measure determines whether products are legal.<\/p>\n

Kirk said if the store has to remove THCA products, which represent 35 to 50 percent of sales, the loss compared with the cost of running the business could make it difficult to stay open.<\/p>\n

The new licensing changes required by DSHS also create additional risk for local hemp businesses. \u201cThe new hemp license fees are much higher than some alcohol licenses,\u201d Kirk said. \u201cAnd on top of that, you added a rule that you\u2019re increasing our licensing from $155 to $5,000. That\u2019s going to be hard for us to stay in business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the store\u2019s customers, including veterans using THCA products for PTSD, rely on smokeable products because they provide faster relief than gummies or oils. \u201cA smokeable item can provide instant relief, whereas gummies or oils take 45 minutes to an hour and a half to work,\u201d Kirk said.<\/p>\n

Kirk also expressed concern about consumer safety. He warned that removing THCA products could drive some customers to unregulated street alternatives. \u201cCustomers are going to go back to the street. They\u2019re going to buy sketchy products from sketchy individuals,\u201d Kirk said.<\/p>\n

Kirk says he is reviewing his business finances to determine if he can remain viable under the new rules. He also criticized the regulatory focus on THCA. \u201cSome people think it\u2019s addictive. Alcohol, nicotine, and sugars are also addictive, but somehow we\u2019re pinpointing this product,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Full Spectrum will comply with the new rules, and products like gummies, creams, and topicals that meet the new THC limits will remain available to customers.<\/p>\n

Want more local news? Download the KLST+ app for your Smart TV to stay up to date on the latest news and watch episodes of exclusive shows made in-house! Find out how to get KLST+ on your television with our\u00a0download guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) \u2014 New hemp regulations in Texas are set to take effect at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[82540,82541,3812,27,29,28,43465],"class_list":["post-210753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-allen-kirk","tag-full-spectrum","tag-san-angelo","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-thca"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}