CBD is one step from legal stamp approval in Texas

CBD and Hemp one step from the legal stamp of approval in Texas

One more signature and industrial hemp and CBD production is completely legal in the Lone Star State.

If you had told us twenty years ago that plants associated with marijuana would one day be legal in Texas, we probably would have laughed and then asked you what you’ve been smoking. But it’s 2019 and new ground is being broken every day. CBD production is just about legal in Texas and we at SABotanicals couldn’t be happier about welcoming this change in legislation. But what actually went down in the House of Representatives? Is it legal yet? How far is there to go until it is?

On 22 May in Austin, the Texas House of Representatives agreed to House Bill 1325 with some minor changes, a positive step moving towards state-wide legalization of hemp and CBD products. All it needs now is the signature of Governor Greg Abbott for the bill to become law.

Authored by Democratic Representative Tracy King, the bill includes steps to set up a federally-approved scheme for farmers in the state to produce hemp industrially, legally and with the important addition of government inspection. Many lawmakers in the House seemed worried that the bill would lead to the legalization of marijuana as a consumable product, but King dissuaded them of this notion. The bill approves of products deriving from hemp that contains less than 0.3% of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, hemp’s cousin plant. When people take exception to marijuana, it’s really THC that they have the issue with, even if they don’t know it. THC is what causes the high we are so familiar with seeing on TV (and elsewhere…maybe).

The bill has been batted around the Texas House of Representatives since early April after the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee unanimously approved the bill. That committee vote came only four days after the Texas Department of State Health Services removed hemp from their Schedule 1 list of dangerous drugs, copying a move by the federal government. While 42 other states decided to move immediately on legalizing industrial hemp production, Texas lawmakers have been conservatively reticent in immediately approving the industry from gaining a legal foothold in their state.

This week’s vote, however, has nearly guaranteed legalization for prospective hemp growers and producers in Texas. This will not only help stimulate economic growth in the agricultural sector, but will also make it easier for those who rely on CBD and hemp products for their pain management, anxiety, depression, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. While CBD is legal for those with prescriptions, the decriminalization of regular use without prescriptions will open up many doors for pain-free living and bring in more revenue to the state.

While Texas isn’t going to be the next Colorado, Washington or California when it comes to legalization of recreational marijuana (even with some medical cannabis laws still being debated in Texas), the legalization of CBD comes as a welcome step forward in terms of the slow-but-sure un-demonization of cannabis and the plants associated with it. The benefits of CBD and hemp are finally being recognized on a state level in one of the nation’s largest and most populous states.

Go Texas!

If you’re interested in what CBD can do for your depression or anxiety levels, check out this article. If you’re new to CBD and you have a few questions, check out our extensive FAQ page. It’ll tell you everything you need to know from whether CBD can get you high (spoiler: it can’t) to what CBD stands for.