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Proposed Texas Hemp License Fee Hike Will Force Businesses To Close, Advocates Say

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1 week ago

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“Many small businesses cannot absorb this level of cost and will be forced to close rather than innovate.”

By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune

Texas state health officials have proposed raising licensing fees for some hemp businesses by 13,000 percent, among changes that many industry members and advocates say will shut down small operations in favor of larger out-of-state companies.

Proponents of this change say it is necessary to strengthen oversight of an industry that has grown out of control.

At the end of last monthThe Texas Department of State Health Services published a set has proposed rules to tighten regulations on consumable hemp productsThis includes establishing a minimum purchase age of 21, along with age verification requirements and mandatory product recalls, all of which are measures supported by the hemp industry.

However, the two proposed rules that have caused the most heartburn among advocates and businesses are new testing requirements and increases in licensing fees. Manufacturer licenses would increase from $250 to $25,000 per facility per year and retail registrations from $150 to $20,000 per location per year, an increase of more than 13,000 percent.

Industry members say the new requirements to test THC levels in consumable hemp products would eliminate the use of hemp flower to manufacture products such as edibles and combustibles because hemp flowers contain THC levels higher than the new limit. They say eliminating the use of hemp flowers would allow more synthetically derived THC, such as delta-9, to flourish.

“The proposed rules eliminate about 80 percent of what every store sells, including ours, which is natural hemp flower, and it would certainly eliminate the entire THC rule,” Kemah-based owner Scott Stubb. Sublingwell Cannabinoids and Euphoricshe said in a public health agency of the state hearing in the rules on Friday. “Then you add in the fees it’s $20,000 per store, I don’t know, honestly, how we would stay open.”

Hemp distributors say the new license fee is a fundamental restructuring of their ability to operate legally in Texas.

“DSHS’ fiscal analysis assumes that nearly all currently registered retailers will pay the proposed $20,000 fee, generating more than $200 million in annual revenue. This assumption is unrealistic. Many small businesses cannot absorb this level of cost and will be forced to close rather than innovate,” said Heather Fazio, director of the Cannabis Policy Center of Texas. has been submitted for public comment.

Fazio said licensing and registration fees should be structured to recover the reasonable costs of effective regulation, not to function as a revenue mechanism that drives companies out of the regulated market.

“The department’s own calculations show that the increased costs of administering these rules are minimal. In that context, it is not clear why the dramatic fee increases are necessary or justified,” he said.

Supporters of the license fee increase said this is a necessary step to protect children from cannabis products and want more enforcement of penalties for cannabis shops operating without a license.

“Cannabis advocates say it’s a billion-dollar industry. It’s only fair and appropriate to create fees that help cover the cost of regulating the product and the burden on society for people who profit from the sale of billions of dollars in intoxicating products,” said Betsy Jones, director of policy and strategy for Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth.

Aubree Adams, director of Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas, called for more regulations on the industry, including raising the minimum purchase age to 25 and requiring hemp companies to also help pay for public education, data collection, processing, infrastructure and more.

“This problem facing the state is the normalization and promotion of retail groups driven by chemical manipulations and misleading information,” he said.

Multiple veterans also opposed the elimination of products derived from hemp flowers, which many rely on to help them sleep or deal with issues like PTSD and anxiety.

“I spent 16 months overseas and used many different pharmaceuticals that were dangerous and caused me seizures and physical damage. These health products have given me my life back and allowed me to go back to work,” said San Antonio combat veteran Adam Peterson. “A total ban on THC will basically take away access to good medicine that helps me.”

Fazio said removing regulated access to hemp flower won’t take away consumer demand. It will push people into the unregulated market.

“The result goes against the public health goals these rules are intended to advance,” he said.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Texas Department of State Health Services have proposed new rules aimed at regulating the edible hemp market to comply with Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) executive order.

The two agencies are working together, as neither has jurisdiction over the entire landscape of retailers selling hemp consumables.

For example, the TABC rules would not apply to licensed hemp sellers under the state Department of Health Services, including online stores, gas stations, and online retailers that do not sell liquor and are presumed not to have a liquor license. The same can be said for the 60,000 TABC licensees, such as restaurants and liquor stores. The TABC has yet to propose any changes to licensing fees for businesses selling hemp consumables.

The executive order came after the Texas Legislature spent most of last year debating whether to ban consumer hemp products or impose stricter regulations on the industry. Abbott vetoed the outright ban passed by the House and Senate last summer. The governor then put THC regulations on the agenda for two consecutive special sessions, but lawmakers did unable to find a compromise before the end of the second session.

Instead of calling a third special session, Abbott issued his own executive order, bypassing the Legislature. The decision pits Abbott against Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who has been a staunch supporter of banning consumer hemp products.

After months of uncertainty over whether the Legislature would consider a full ban, THC industry representatives celebrated Abbott’s order at the time, saying it would allow THC to further establish itself as a legal industry in the state.

However, the rules proposed by some industry members are very similar to the ban.

“When the governor vetoed that bill, our voice was being amplified and taking the fee structure in the same bill undermines that outcome,” said Hayden Meek, owner of Denton-based Delta Denton. “A $20,000 fee falls on a multi-state corporation fee; for a single-location store like mine, 20,000 is death by cutbacks.”

This the article appeared for the first time Texas Tribune.

Max Jackson’s photo.

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Vivent Biosignals & Green Laniel join forces to bring plant-driven agriculture to the US

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18 hours ago

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January 17, 2026

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Vivent Biosignals and Green Laniel Consulting have announced a partnership to accelerate plant-driven irrigation and irrigation in key U.S. agricultural markets. Green Laniel Consulting is a US-focused provider of agronomic solutions led by Mauricio Manotas.

By combining Vivent’s ability to decode plant biosignals in real-time using plant biosensors, machine learning and AI with Green Laniel’s deep experience in agronomy, grower operations and US market access, the partnership allows growers to make decisions based on what really matters: how the plant itself is responding.

© Vivent Biosignals

The partnership will cover a variety of crops and production systems, initially plant-driven irrigation and greenhouses for perennial crops, including potatoes, directly guided by plant feedback.

“By combining Vivint’s plant-level intelligence with Green Laniel’s strong presence and agronomic leadership in the US, we are enabling a new generation of plant-driven farming systems. This partnership helps growers improve yields and quality while significantly increasing resource efficiency and sustainability.” says Mauricio Manotas, Green Laniel Consulting.

For more information:
Vivent Biosignals
Tel.: +41 79 5114627
Email: (email protected)
https://vivent-biosignals.com/



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Indiana Lawmakers Approve Bill To Restrict And Regulate Hemp THC Products

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18 hours ago

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January 17, 2026

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“In India, we would like some certainty about these products so that those who manufacture and sell them know what our laws are.”

By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Indiana lawmakers want state legislation to join the recently enacted federal ban on intoxicating and synthetic hemp products to counter the growing delta-8 industry.

Lengthy and complex legislation would also regulate less potent products that pass statutory muster.

But, “there will be no demand” for products below the proposed threshold, said Justin Swanson, representing the Midwest Hemp Council and 3Chi, a THC products retailer.

THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.

Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, admitted to the committee that he would prefer to “wipe all these things off the planet, period,” but that his proposal is “whatever is possible.”

His Senate Bill 250 would mimic Congress’s shutdown of what Freeman described as the “Farm Bill loophole,” referring to 2018 legislation that defined legal hemp as any part of the plant that contains less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight. That definition allowed products containing delta-8, THCA and other intoxicating cannabinoids to proliferate, including in Indiana.

A federal funding law passed in November specifies that all types of THC count. It also limits THC products to just 0.4 milligrams per container, and completely bans those made in labs.

“I think (that’s) what the federal government wanted when they passed the Farm Bill in 2018; I think that’s what everybody had in mind when they copied that language here in Indiana,” said Chris Daniels, chief traffic safety resource attorney for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council. “The target was very low potency THC.”

An industry group supported the changes.

“It is imperative that Indiana act to align with federal policy in the 2026 legislative session,” said Cory Harris, representative of the American Cannabis and Hemp Trade Association. “Failure to do so means that Indiana’s policy will be stricter than federal law, making Indiana a legal cannabis market.”

The federal provisions will go into effect in November. Freeman’s bill repeats those provisions, but puts them into effect four months earlier, in July.

“It’s sweet that Indiana codified a federal law that will decimate an entire industry in the state,” Swanson said. “The landscape is still unsettled.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Baird — a Republican representing Indiana — introduced a proposal to push the effective date of the federal ban to 2028. President Donald Trump also signed an executive order to expedite the reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous and less restricted drug.

Swanson said his clients support a “responsible regulatory framework,” and told lawmakers that “the status quo is not acceptable to anyone.”

Freeman’s invoice spends dozens of pages specifically regulating low-THC “hemp-derived cannabinoid products” that would be legalized, primarily with a long-standing 21-and-over requirement.

It also puts the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission in charge of regulating the rest of the industry, establishing four types of licenses for manufacturers, distributors, retailers and carriers. They would be prohibited from advertising within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds and others, with retailers prohibited from operating within the same radius.

Retailers would not be able to deliver products or allow customers to consume them on the spot. Selling the products online would also be illegal, another sticking point for advocates.

Dave Colt, CEO and co-founder of Sun King Brewery, said his homegrown company spent months and more than $100,000 on equipment, research and development for its THC seltzer. Amid declining alcohol sales nationwide, seltzers have allowed Sun King to retain its employees and even grow.

“We also make products for at least a dozen Hoosier small businesses. Without that additional revenue, we would be forced to lay off people and reduce our business significantly,” Colt stated. “We believe the industry wants clear regulations to meet consumer demand.”

Other provisions relate to packaging, labeling and testing.

A fiscal impact study by the nonpartisan Service Agency estimated a financial impact of half a billion dollars annually for ATC to administer and enforce the proposal. The agency will have to hire at least one excise officer in each of the six districts plus Marion County to investigate complaints related to the new regulatory framework.

There will be additional costs for law enforcement training, procurement and online databases, the analysis noted.

The costs could be offset by the permit and other fees collected. The measure would allocate 70 percent of the proceeds to ATC administrative efforts, 20 percent to enforcement, 5 percent to the state’s 988 suicide and crisis hotline and 5 percent to the general fund.

If all tobacco sales certificate holders applied for a retail permit, for example, their application fees would generate $2.1 million. If all are approved, the state would earn an additional $4.6 million, according to LSA’s analysis.

The state seed commissioner would handle licensing for hemp growers and handlers.

Freeman also included a sentence that prevents the Indiana code from immediately reflecting the federal reclassification of marijuana, if that goes forward.

“This bill simply says that we’re not going to automatically follow what the federal government does, that we, the 150 of us, would make that decision, not the federal government for us,” Freeman told his colleagues.

The Senate Commerce and Technology committee also approved an amendment to eliminate an excise tax, as all revenue-raising provisions must be initiated in the House.

The revised legislation passed on a 7-2 party line vote, but the next bill must pass through the Senate Appropriations Committee before going to the House floor.

Previous efforts to ban and regulate intoxicating hemp products have failed.

Asked about his chances this year, Senate Republican Leader Rodric Bray told reporters, “I don’t have that crystal ball,” but added, “I think the bill is in pretty good shape right now.”

“I think in Indiana, we would like some certainty about these products, so that those who manufacture and sell them know what our laws are,” he continued, “and, most importantly, to build in some really meaningful protections for our young people across the state.”

This story was first published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Brendan Cleak’s photo.

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Creating a thoughtful cannabis environment for Colorado Springs

Published

2 days ago

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January 16, 2026

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In Colorado Springs, where the landscape of legal cannabis is centered around medical use, BioMeds Weed Dispensary Colorado Springs has become a destination for patients seeking high-quality cannabis products and a fair and respectful retail experience. Located at 2301 Rand Avenue, BioMeds has developed a reputation for prioritizing product integrity, patient education and consistent service in response to the brightest trends found in recreationally oriented markets.

Unlike recreational dispensaries, where the volume and variety can sometimes overwhelm, BioMeds takes a deliberate approach. The dispensary offers a good selection of medical cannabis products, including a variety of delivery formats to suit your health needs. These typically include flower strains, tinctures, capsules, topicals, and ingestibles, allowing patients to explore therapeutic cannabis without relying on inhaled methods.

BioMeds understands that patients arrive with different experiences, preferences and conditions. To meet these needs, the dispensary emphasizes informed, non-judgmental customer service based on product knowledge. The staff is trained to explain how different formats work, as well as interpret cannabinoid ratios, identify common terpenes, and select products that match specific wellness goals.

© BioMeds Weed Dispensary Colorado Springs

BioMeds’ product selection is part of the reason patients turn to cannabis. For many, whole flower remains a must-have choice, especially strains that emphasize CBD content, balanced proportions or effect-specific terpene profiles. BioMeds often sells indica, sativa, and hybrids with specific labeling, allowing patients to make informed decisions about onset time, duration, and expected outcome. Beyond flower, tinctures and capsules offer discreet, dose-controlled ways to incorporate cannabis into your daily wellness routine, especially for those managing pain, inflammation, or neurological conditions.

Topicals are also a key part of BioMeds’ offering. These include cannabinoid-infused creams, salves, and lotions intended for topical use. Patients dealing with joint discomfort, muscle tension, or skin conditions often turn to topical products for their non-toxic effects and targeted relief. These products also serve as an entry point for patients exploring cannabis for the first time, especially when faced with systemic or psychoactive effects.

Another category that sees sustained interest in BioMeds is ingestion. These may include low-dose edibles, oils, or beverages tailored to patients seeking long-lasting, absorbed beverages. While recreational edibles in Colorado may gravitate toward high-THC formats, medically focused dispensaries like BioMeds ensure that low-dose, balanced-ratio, CBD-rich formats are available and clearly labeled. Many patients prefer longer-lasting edible formats, especially for managing symptoms at night or for relief throughout the day.

Compliance is a pillar of BioMeds’ operating philosophy. As a medical-only dispensary, the group complies with all Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) guidelines. Patients must present a valid marijuana card, and all transactions are recorded and monitored according to state protocols. BioMeds does not allow recreational sales and maintains internal training programs to keep employees up-to-date on evolving regulations, labeling requirements and patient protection.

While the dispensary may not offer flashy promotions or themed events often seen in the recreational market, it has placed a special emphasis on medical integrity and personalized service in the Colorado Springs cannabis landscape. For patients who prioritize results over hype, BioMeds offers a consistent experience with proven products and a team that truly understands the nuances of using medical cannabis.

Behind the scenes, BioMeds maintains strong supplier relationships to ensure product availability and freshness. Inventory is regularly reviewed and rotated, and the team communicates directly with manufacturers to maintain transparency around sourcing, testing and packaging. The dispensary favors small and medium-sized Colorado growers who focus on consistency and compliance, with many products undergoing third-party lab testing for cannabinoid content, residual solvents and microbial contamination.

For more information:
BioMeds Weed Dispensary Colorado Springs
biomedsofcolorado.com/

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