{"id":400075,"date":"2026-08-07T08:46:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/400075\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T08:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:46:32","slug":"texas-sued-over-new-hemp-derived-thc-ban-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/400075\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas sued over new hemp derived THC ban. What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"responsive-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2226360516-GI.JPG\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"674\" title=\"AUSTIN, TEXAS - JULY 21: The State Capitol is seen on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Lawmakers gathered for a special session to discuss an agenda outlined by Gov. Greg Abbott that sought to address flood relief in response to the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, congressional redistricting, and THC products. (Photo by Brandon Bell\/Getty Images)\" alt=\"AUSTIN, TEXAS - JULY 21: The State Capitol is seen on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Lawmakers gathered for a special session to discuss an agenda outlined by Gov. Greg Abbott that sought to address flood relief in response to the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, congressional redistricting, and THC products. (Photo by Brandon Bell\/Getty Images)\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        AUSTIN, TEXAS &#8211; JULY 21: The State Capitol is seen on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Lawmakers gathered for a special session to discuss an agenda outlined by Gov. Greg Abbott that sought to address flood relief in response to the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, congressional redistricting, and THC products. (Photo by Brandon Bell\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>                Brandon Bell<\/p>\n<p>            Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Texas\u2019 new ban on most hemp-derived THC products has only been in effect for a few days, but it\u2019s already being challenged in court.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28530135-20260731-monti-v-garcia-3-26-cv-00254-plaintiffs-original-complaint-complaint-motion-order-only-no-exhibits\/\">Members of the hemp industry have sued state lawmakers,<\/a> arguing the new rules violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>The legal challenge comes as Texans are still trying to understand <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/news\/state\/texas\/article316634335.html?link_source=ta_first_comment&amp;taid=6a639ecfb8fbe600019c170d&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook\">which products are now illegal and what the new law means.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what the lawsuit argues and what Texans should know while it\u2019s pending.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcf0 In case you missed it: <\/p>\n<p>        Why is Texas being sued over the new hemp-derived THC ban?<\/p>\n<p>Hemp retailers <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbdprosusa.com\/\">CBD Pros USA<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappycactusatx.com\/\">Happy Cactus Apothecary<\/a>, along with hemp distributor, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cannectwellness.com\/\">Cannect Wellness<\/a>, argue Texas is banning products federal law already considers legal hemp.<\/p>\n<p>The businesses filed the lawsuit against the Texas Department of State Health Services, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Jack Roady and Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen.<\/p>\n<p>The businesses say the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/farming-and-ranching\/farm-bill\">2018 Farm Bill<\/a> legalized hemp containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC and that Texas can\u2019t treat those products like <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dshs.texas.gov\/drug-manufacturers-distributors\/schedules-controlled-substances-drug-manufacturers-distributors\">Schedule I controlled substances<\/a> simply because they contain other forms of THC.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28530135-20260731-monti-v-garcia-3-26-cv-00254-plaintiffs-original-complaint-complaint-motion-order-only-no-exhibits\/\">The lawsuit<\/a> also argues the new law prevents some federally legal hemp products from being sold in Texas or transported through the state.<\/p>\n<p>According to the complaint, the responsibility of regulating products that move between states belongs to the federal governemnt, not individual states.<\/p>\n<p>Because of those arguments, the plaintiffs are asking a federal judge to temporarily block the state from enforcing the ban while the lawsuit moves through the courts.<\/p>\n<p>They argue the ban is already hurting Texas hemp businesses, causing them to lose customers and revenue, and could force some companies to close before the court has a chance to decide whether the law is legal.<\/p>\n<p>What does the lawsuit mean for Texans right now?<\/p>\n<p>Unless a judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, the state\u2019s latest hemp-derived THC ban remains in effect.<\/p>\n<p>That means products covered by the ban, including THCA flower, Delta-8 THC, Delta-10 THC and THCP, are still considered illegal under Texas law.<\/p>\n<p>The main exception is hemp products <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com\/rules-and-meetings?$locale=en_US&amp;interface=VIEW_TAC_SUMMARY&amp;queryAsDate=04\/01\/2026&amp;recordId=228158\">containing no more than 0.3% naturally occurring delta-9 THC by dry weight,<\/a> which remain legal.<\/p>\n<p>Texans caught possessing products covered by the ban can face serious criminal penalties. For example, possessing even a small amount of an illegal THC product can be charged as a state jail felony, carrying 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine of up to $10,000.<\/p>\n<p>Penalties become more severe as the amount involved increases, with some offenses carrying decades in prison or even a potential life sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses that continue selling products covered by the ban can also face license revocation and civil fines of up to $10,000 per day.<\/p>\n<p>        Related Stories from  Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n<p>                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/profile\/286016036\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tiffani_Jackson.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" alt=\"Profile Image of Tiffani Jackson\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                <a class=\"author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/profile\/286016036\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tiffani Jackson<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n<p>            Tiffani is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions about life in North Texas. Tiffani mainly writes about Texas laws and health news.\n            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, TEXAS &#8211; JULY 21: The State Capitol is seen on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Lawmakers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-400075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400075","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=400075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}