AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 A new lawsuit is seeking to halt Texas\u2019 newly implemented THC rules, as hemp industry groups warn the changes could force popular Delta-8 products off shelves and put some businesses at risk of closing.<\/p>\n
The Department of State Health Services\u2019 new THC rules went into effect Friday. Under the change, the agency is now classifying delta-8 products as controlled substances, making it illegal to sell those items as of Friday. The restrictions affect hemp-derived THC products including Delta-8 flower and prerolls.<\/p>\n
Mark Bordas, executive director of the Texas Hemp Business Council, said the rules threaten a major sector of the state\u2019s economy. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s going to be widespread, irreparable damage done to an $11 billion-a-year industry,\u201d Bordas said.<\/p>\n
For retailers, the shift follows years of legal uncertainty around hemp-derived THC products. Estella Castro, owner of Austinite Cannabis Co., said the new rules are forcing immediate decisions about the future of her business. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow it\u2019s like, this is actually happening. We have to stop selling on the 31st,\u201d Castro said. She also said the changes could make it difficult to continue operating as before. \u201cI think I\u2019m going to take out North because it\u2019s just, it\u2019s not going to be, you know, really feasible…We have just gotten out of so much, just been just kicked around, man,\u201d Castro said.<\/p>\n