LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – State lawmakers are laying the groundwork to ban THC products across Texas ahead of the 90th Legislative Session, reviving an effort that was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott last session in favor of regulation.<\/p>\n
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee spent several hours recently hearing testimony from parents, law enforcement, and medical professionals about the effects of THC.<\/p>\n
Lubbock State Sen. Charles Perry, the committee\u2019s vice-chair who led the push for a ban last session, said regulation has failed and an outright ban is the only path forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an industry built on getting you wasted, let\u2019s be clear,\u201d Perry said. \u201cWe\u2019re at our breaking point financially. I\u2019m at my breaking point from a conscience level. I don\u2019t know as a society how we can allow this stuff to perpetuate itself in the name of profit. As a state legislator, I\u2019m tired of chasing addiction with another addiction and having the taxpayers fund it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aubree Adams, a parent who testified before the committee, told lawmakers she\u2019s seen the negative effects of marijuana first-hand. She\u2019s from Colorado, and told the committee about how its legalization ruined her neighborhood and her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey call fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. I disagree. Fentanyl is a weapon of mass death. THC is a weapon of mass destruction, causing chemical injuries to the brain from the body,\u201d Adams said. \u201cHe became addicted to marijuana, then came the paranoia, delusions, and violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hemp shop owners pushed back on those claims. Jennifer Garza, owner of CBD American Shaman in Lubbock, said there is no medical proof that hemp-derived THC on its own causes mental distress. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of these people they are talking about are young adults in their early 20s and their frontal lobes not fully developed or closed. So if there is already an underlying health condition, mental condition, then of course anything can set that off,\u201d Garza said. \u201cAlcohol could cause that. Food could cause that. It is not our products causing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawmakers also heard testimony that dosages printed on product packaging are not always equal to the actual dosage of the product.<\/p>\n
Steve Dye, Chief of the Allen Police Department, says that\u2019s the case with most of his department\u2019s investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur public safety concerns and observations continue to include cannabinoid variants being chemically modified from industrial hemp, then being mislabeled as edibles and other consumables and openly and illegally sold in Texas,\u201d Dye said. \u201cProducts with high THC content continue to be marketed and sold as hemp products.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garza said her store uses QR codes on every product that link directly to lab reports, including batch numbers. She said the solution is stronger enforcement against bad actors \u2014 not a blanket ban. <\/p>\n
\u201cAre there some people not doing it correctly? Of course, but that\u2019s any industry. So what they need to do is have better rules, regulation, and enforcement. Go after the people that are not doing it right. There is no reason to just do an all-out ban,\u201d Garza said. <\/p>\n
Testimony also revealed a gap in the state\u2019s ability to test and regulate THC products, with lab testing costing an estimated $1,200 per product for compliance and a shortage of personnel to enforce existing regulations. Dye said the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission already manages more than 60,000 alcohol retailers and is stretched thin, raising questions about its capacity to take on THC oversight as well. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince March 31st we\u2019ve seen no difference at our stores. We\u2019ve had nobody coming in from the state to look at those stores. It\u2019s still left at the doorstep of the local agency, at least at this point,\u201d Dye said.<\/p>\n
Perry maintains gaps in resources are the reasons regulation will not work.<\/p>\n
\u201cStates that regulate gain nothing. If you have regulations you create a path toward the court system that will not take this on because they\u2019re too busy handling the other social problems that come from addiction. So there\u2019s no path to fix this other than getting rid of it,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n
Garza, who lives in Perry\u2019s district, said she has repeatedly sought a meeting with the senator to discuss her products and called his lack of engagement disappointing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like a big slap in the face. Spend the day with me. Talk to my customers. Talk to people that are paying for you to be sitting behind that desk and doing what they want,\u201d Garza said.<\/p>\n