Hayden Meek said he has lawfully sold mild cannabis products for four years to help people relax, sleep or with small pains, but now his Denton business is threatened by a strong legislative surge to shutter such businesses across the state.
At his Delta 8 Denton store, Meek said his customers are average, responsible adults Ƶ the people Ƶyou would see walking the Square.Ƶ
ƵWe have teachers; we have mailmen; we have military vets,Ƶ he said.
Meek would likely have to close his store under , authored by Charles Perry, R-Lubbock. The bill proposes a total ban on the sale or distribution of intoxicating cannabis products. The bill has passed through the Senate on a 26-5 vote and advanced to a House committee hearing.
The bill has the support of powerful Texas names behind it.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named the bill a Ƶmajor legislative initiative.Ƶ Patrick also called on businesses to shut down preemptively to avoid investigations and lawsuits.
Locally, Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton, is a sponsor of the bill.
While recreational marijuana use is still illegal in Texas, cannabis stores began popping up across the state five years ago after the Legislature passed a law aimed at agricultural growth that allowed the sale of hemp products.
Lawmakers unwittingly opened the door to cannabis sales, and now the state has about 8,000 registered shops Ƶ twice the number as California. Advocates said that the industry now employs more than 60,000 Texans.
Currently, the state has few regulations on the hemp industry, besides a 0.3% limit on the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, and packaging requirements from the Department of State Health Services.
Many in the cannabis industry, like Meek, understand the need for stricter regulation and often advocate for it. However, they donƵt believe a complete ban is the answer.
To protect his business and his customers, Meek said, he gets his goods from vetted companies, checks the certificate of analysis on products and ensures that the packaging identifies contents.
But advocates of the new ban said many shops are selling highly intoxicating strains of cannabis and are selling these products to minors.
In explaining his bill, Perry said, ƵItƵs not your granddadƵs pot. It is something that is marketed as safe and legal Ƶ and it is anything but.Ƶ
Confusion over the current law also has entangled customers who believed they were buying legal products.
Last September, after a vape pen she bought from a snack shop tested seven times over the legal limit. The case sparked debates about regulation and safety across the state.
Tim Powers, a former Denton Ƶ assistant district attorney and chief misdemeanor prosecutor turned defense attorney, said stories like this are common.
ƵThey believe itƵs legal,Ƶ Powers said. ƵThey get [stopped by police] and the car smells like weed, so the officer does have the ability to search [with] probable cause,Ƶ Powers said.
Around the same time, law enforcement across the Dallas-Fort Worth area carried out search warrants at dispensaries in search of noncompliant products. for testing by the Denton Ƶ SheriffƵs Office.
Powers said a total ban is ƵoverkillƵ and could damage an industry that .
ƵThereƵs usually a pendulum that swings when thereƵs a problem,Ƶ Powers said. ƵIt just swings too far the other way, and we never hit equilibrium. It would be a nice idea if we could someday.Ƶ
Meek said the demographic for THC is much tamer than people assume. Oftentimes, these people look for relief from .
Meek said he is hoping for stronger regulations to keep the bad actors out, but he believes his business and employees are serving peopleƵs needs.
ƵAt the end of the day, Denton has always been a home for us, and we just want to continue to serve Denton in any way that we can,Ƶ he said.
ƵHopefully itƵs through offering these products that people have come to love,Ƶ Meek said. ƵBut I mean, if I got to sell tires, I got to sell tires.Ƶ
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