Government Greg Abbott signs law that legalizes ham production, Texas CBD products | Texas legislator
Abbott, a Republican, did not sign the hemp bill publicly, nor did his office return a request for comment to the new law.
Other GOP leaders have applauded the bill's passage for so long. The federal government removed hemp from its list of controlled substances, a feature that Lone Star State replicated in April. But unlike the 42 other states that had already chosen industrial hemp production, Texas did not have, a decision said the farmers kept them from tapping into a lucrative and popular crop.
In fact, Abbott signed the hemp bill in Monday's law, state law still defined marijuana and hemp as the same, rendering both largely illegal in Texas. Hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis plant family. Unlike the highly inducing cousin, hemp contains a low level of THC.
Heather Fazio, director of Texans for responsible marijuana politics, called the bill's bill "a big step for Texans and one we can all be proud of."
"The Texas lawyer has at least one thing right in this session when they legalized hemp. Finally, Texas farmers are no longer cut out of this lucrative agricultural market. In addition, Texans are now free to use CBD without fear of arrest" Fazio said in a statement.
Cannabis laws were a major problem in the law of 201[ads1]9, which was packed on May 27. While a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana failed, lawmakers approved a little attempt to gain access to medical cannabis under the state's law of crime. That bill is still waiting for Abbott's signature or veto.
Gouverneur has until Sunday, June 16, to make a decision.