Overview
- The Travis County court, which began a three-day hearing Tuesday, is weighing whether to keep a temporary order that blocks parts of Texas’ new hemp rules.
- For now, shops can keep selling natural smokable hemp and resume out-of-state sales under the judge’s order, while steep new license fees remain in dispute.
- The contested rules took effect March 31 and would ban smokable hemp, switch testing to a 0.3% total THC limit that captures THCA, and raise annual fees to about $5,000 per retail site and $10,000 per manufacturing facility.
- The core fight is over who sets the THC standard, with the state citing a court view that treats THCA as delta‑9 when heated and businesses arguing agencies cannot rewrite the 2019 hemp definition.
- Industry witnesses warn the rules would clear shelves and close small stores, as the state points to youth safety concerns and rising poison-control calls since 2019 after lawmakers failed last year to pass a broader ban.