A coalition of hemp industry stakeholders and advocacy groups filed a temporary restraining order against the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Tuesday, seeking to block recently implemented ban on smoked hemp products, Texas Tribune reports.

Enacted on March 31, the ban bans the sale of cannabis flowers, pre-rolls and vaporizers. DSHS officials targeted the products by updating state regulations to count the cannabinoid THCA — which by itself is not intoxicating, but when decarboxylated (heated or burned), turns into delta-9 THC — toward the maximum THC allowed in hemp products. According to state law, hemp-derived products must not exceed the federal limit of 0.3% THC content.

In their challenge, however, the plaintiffs argue that state officials lacked the authority to issue such sweeping changes.

“Under current Texas law, hemp is defined by its delta-9 THC concentration of no more than 0.3%. These Texas officials and state agencies are clearly trying to create new law in direct opposition to what the Texas legislature intended.” — David Sergi, attorney for the Hemp Coalition, in a press release

Meanwhile, officials also passed new product testing and age verification requirements and significantly raised the state’s hemp licensing fees. The Hemp Industry Coalition is not challenging those changes.

“Texas hemp businesses wholeheartedly support those regulations, as they are under the agency’s authority,” Sergi said in the report. “We’re seeking to stop rules that would effectively end the state’s production of hemp and the sale of hemp products — items the Legislature chose not to ban during recent legislative and special sessions.”

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Cannabis Advisory Council called for the legalization of adult-use cannabis in a interim report released last week, and Gov. Josh Stein (D) has endorsed the advisory group’s proposal.

North Carolina is one of the last remaining states in the US without any form of legalization of cannabis.

Notably, while most states have followed a trend of legalizing medical cannabis before enacting adult-use reforms, the advisory group has suggested moving toward full legalization, as setting up and regulating a single industry is much easier than two, and that a medical-only program “could fuel an already robust illicit market without regulation to ensure consumer safety.”

The advisory committee was appointed last year by the governor, who likened the state’s illegal cannabis market to the “Wild West” and endorsed the committee’s plan over the weekend, calling for a “safe, legal and well-regulated adult marketplace.”

“Last year, I charged this group with developing a comprehensive solution to the unregulated sale of cannabis that is based on public health and public safety, with a particular focus on keeping young people safe. This report provides guidance to the General Assembly and makes it clear that a well-regulated market, including oversight and enforcement authority, is a safer market for our state.” – Stein, in one press release

Meanwhile, cannabis remains banned in North Carolina, but the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on the Qualla Frontier legalized it for adults last year. launched retail services for all clients for enhanced use.