Connect with us

Cannabis News

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

Published

8 months ago

on

“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.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

Become a patron on Patreon!

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Cannabis News

Fluent to sell New York license and operations

Published

1 month ago

on

July 30, 2026

By











Fluent has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Etain, LLC, the Company’s New York-based operating entity. The purchase agreement was signed on July 22, 2026. The transaction provides for the sale of Etain’s Registered Entity license, certain of the Company’s New York operating assets and related New York leases for cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

The Company believes the Transaction advances its strategic objectives and expects the Transaction to comply with applicable regulatory requirements in connection with the Company’s previously announced plan of arrangement for Vireo Growth Inc. (the “Deal”) while providing for an orderly transition of the New York operations to an experienced operator committed to serving patients and consumers.

Completion of the free transaction is subject to closing conditions, including, among other customary conditions, approval of the change in ownership by the New York State Cannabis Control Board and the completion of all conditions to the completion of the Agreement.

For more information:
FLUENT Corp
getfluent.com/










Continue Reading

Cannabis News

Marijuana Has ‘Horrific Health Risks’ And No Medical Value, Former Trump Attorney General Claims

Published

1 month ago

on

July 30, 2026

By

A former US attorney general who served in President Donald Trump’s first term says marijuana poses “tremendous health risks,” has no medical value and should not be rescheduled under federal law.

“Marijuana redistricting would create a false impression that it is safe, reduce penalties for illegally selling the drug, and provide a large tax windfall to those who legally supply it,” William Barr wrote in a Wednesday op-ed for The Washington Post, Kevin Sabet, CEO of the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana. “That would be a disaster.”

The opinion comes as the Trump administration moves forward with cannabis reregulation.

According to an order issued in April by US Attorney General Todd Blanche, Marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license were immediately changed from Schedule I As did marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

an administrator The hearing is looking at the broader rescheduling of marijuanawith The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been tasked with advocating for cannabis reform highlighting the testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

But Sabet and Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general from 2019-2020, argued that “the evidence presented at the hearing did not support the rescheduling of marijuana” and instead “confirmed what decades of data have shown: raw marijuana has no scientifically established medical value and is highly susceptible to abuse.”

After the parties to the hearing have filed termination rights, the DEA administrative law judge overseeing the proceedings will make a recommendation regarding rescheduling, and the agency administrator will make a final decision.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling supporters that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they have not been “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
—

The former attorney general’s new opinion says “the stakes couldn’t be higher”, arguing that “marijuana today is more dangerous than ever” and that it is “addictive”, throwing out a list of alleged harm to mental and physical health.

“These unhealthy effects are a predictable result of a powerful and addictive drug being normalized, commercialized and marketed as a medicine,” Barr and Sabet say. “It would be one thing if marijuana had medical value. But there is no credible evidence that marijuana is an effective treatment for any medical condition, despite the millions of dollars spent trying to prove otherwise.”

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a 252 analysis in 2023 that concluded that marijuana had accepted medical value and should be rescheduled.

The new opposition piece also says that “rescheduling would unlock enormous revenue for the corporate marijuana industry by bringing it into a category that has not been covered by a longstanding reduction in federal drug tax deductions,” referring to a law known as 280E, which repeals Sections I and II.

“This, in turn, would allow the industry to spend even more on advertising and marketing to young people,” Barr and Sabet. he wroteArguing that “those who would lose this dragon in society are laying the foundations for another Big Tobacco”.

The Sabet organization, SAM, is one of several parties Challenging the Marijuana Redistricting Process which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those separate parts State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

SAM’s lawsuit was signed by attorneys at Torridon Law PLLC, where Barr is a partner.

The team announced in January that it was Hiring Barr’s firm to fight cannabis rescheduling After Trump signed an executive order directing officials to quickly complete the process.

During the first Trump administration, Barr was accused by a Justice Department official Directing improper anti-company investigations into multiple cannabis company mergers– Accounting for almost a third of the division’s cases in 2019.

Several Democratic members of Congress introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into Barr’s possible impeachment, saying “abused the power of his office” to improperly investigate marijuana businesses while engaging in other allegedly illegal conduct.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

Become a patron on Patreon!

Continue Reading

Cannabis News

How much red light does cannabis really need?

Published

2 months ago

on

July 26, 2026

By

When growers pull out two LED fixtures side by side, the first number they usually discuss is percent red. This is an easy specification to fix. They are efficient at producing red photons and incredibly efficient at photosynthesis, and cannabis eats away at the flower. So more red must be better, right?

Not so simple. Red is an input to a spectrum, and the spectrum is an input to a room. There is no single spectrum that wins everywhere. An indoor room pushes hard, a greenhouse that soaks up sunlight, a temperamental cultivar, and aggressive yields call for something different. Knowing what each light strip actually does allows you to choose a tool that fits your grow instead of one that just has a big number on the sales page.

© JumpLights

Blue: structure
Blue (approximately 400-500 nm) gives shape to the plant. It maintains dense growth, strong stems, tight internodes and allows it to develop as desired. It also encourages stomatal opening, so the plant manages water and gas exchange better. Get blue and you’ve built a plant that can carry heavy flowers with no problem.

Green: access
Green was eliminated as the wavelength is “reflected” by plants. It turns out that it does a real job. Blue and red are absorbed above; the green goes deep into the fat and reaches the leaves that are never touched by the above photons. In a compact room, it’s the difference between plants photosynthesising from the top down and those that work only from the top. Green won’t replace your red or blue, but it does carry usable light where they can’t reach.

Red: engine
Red is the horse of the flower. It absorbs as efficiently as anything in the spectrum, and is responsible for most of the biomass you’re after. Redder generally means faster flower development, more weight and better efficiency per watt.

But red has a ceiling, and it’s tied to what you run. Push PPFD upwards with a heavy red spectrum and some cultivars begin to whiten at the top: the flower should be dense with pale, washed tips. Genetics, intensity, barrel temperature and your general environment all feed into it. If you’re using aggressive light levels, a lower red spectrum will buy you room before that becomes a problem, leaving you almost no photosynthetic punch to get it.

Far Red: More than Emerson
Far-red (700-750 nm) appears in more devices every year. It contributes little to photosynthesis on its own, but it moves plant morphology and works with red through the Emerson Enhancement Effect. Used properly, it helps to deepen the light, encourage uniformity of the canopy and encourage the response of the bloom. The key word is small. A touch of far red rounds out a spectrum; he’s not there to make a show.

Matching the red percentage with the room
Cannabis addresses the entire spectrum, not a line on a spec sheet. Reds cause flowers, but blues, greens and crimsons give the plant something it needs. Where you land in red refers to how you grow.

A lower red spectrum (30-40%) captures more blue and green, gives you better morphology, reduces the risk of photobleaching, and holds up when you’re running extreme PPFD. Moderate spectrum (40-55%) is the sweet spot in commercial greenhouses: strong photosynthetic efficiency, strong flowering, balanced growth. A high-red spectrum (70%+) makes the most sense in a greenhouse, where the sun is already giving you lots of blue and green and your supplemental light can cast effective red to fill the gap.

Where does the ETS MAX series fit in?
This is the thinking behind the JumpLights ETS MAX series. Instead of forcing a spectrum into each room, it rarely comes up because a greenhouse and a high PPFD indoor flower room are not the same problem.

  • ETS MAX 4C41% red: for indoor rooms operating at very high intensity, where photobleaching is a real risk. The wider, red bottom balance allows you to push the tops without overcooking them
  • ETS MAX 4A48% red: balanced internal spectrum that maintains high output while controlling bleaching.
  • ETS MAX 5B57% Red: A high-performance indoor option. Moderate red, marked with efficiency and flower at the same time, up to 3,450 μmol/s, with efficiency that holds the spectrum.
  • ETS MAX 7A76% red: built for the greenhouse. The sun already supplies blue and green, so this leans heavily on the complementary red, up to 3,900 μmol/s in the infrastructure most greenhouses already have in place.

Bottom line
Choosing an activity is not a competition for the highest red number. The winning spectrum is the one that matches your environment, your intensity, your genetics, and what you’re trying to produce. Combine spectrum, intensity, environmental control, light distribution and genetics, and you’ve got a lighting strategy. Keep a spec isolated and all you’ve got is a bright room.

The ETS MAX line was created around this idea: choose the spectrum of the room you actually have, indoor or greenhouse, and let the device work with your grow rather than against it.

For more information:
JumpLights
www.jumplights.com

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending

Copyright © 2021 The Art of MaryJane Media