A bill in the Texas Senate would ban edible products that contain THC, an ingredient in the cannabis plant.
The state’s senators will soon begin discussing Senate Bill 3, Fox 4 reported on Monday, noting Republican leaders view it as one of their main priorities.
“The legislation is largely in response to a 2019 law that allowed for the commercialization of hemp, which includes products with THC levels under 3%,” the outlet said, adding that many products fall into that category, including gummies sold in many locations and online.
The bill would mean anyone possessing the products could face up to “a year in jail and a fine of $4,000,” while there would be harsher punishment for manufacturers.
According to WebMD, THC is “delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. It’s what makes you feel ‘high’ when you smoke marijuana or eat an edible,” the website reads.
High levels of THC can cause a person to have hallucinations, delusions, and psychosis, the site says.
In December, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick launched the initiative to ban THC. His statement read:
Everyone knows that agriculture is part of the fabric of Texas. In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1325, by Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde, to bolster agriculture in Texas. Part of that bill allowed for the commercialization of hemp which might include un-removable non-intoxicating trace amounts of Delta 9 THC.
Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible. These stores not only sold to adults, but they targeted Texas children and exposed them to dangerous levels of THC. Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up in communities across the state, and many sell products, including beverages, that have three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer. Under Senate Bill 3, these products, and all forms of THC, will be banned in Texas.
In 2023, an 11-year-old boy from New York City reportedly overdosed on THC gummies he thought were candy during a Super Bowl party, according to Breitbart News.
Per the Fox report, “Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said under the current laws, the market is essentially unregulated, and customers don’t always know what they are getting. Some products also exceed the current allowable levels of THC, he said.”
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