Cannabis News

Texas Hemp Businesses Celebrate Lawmakers’ Failure To Pass THC Product Ban

Published

4 months ago

September 6, 2025

admin

“I’m glad I was attentive. There is no rest.”

Paul Coberler and Alex Nguyen, Texas Tribune

When the news broke the news on Wednesday after the last minute office regulations, Austin Vape and smoke staff were encouraged to action.

A manager in Zaqui Hensen, a manager in the South Austin shop, has begun to reject the strict regulation or prohibition before its legislators. The rest of the day he joined the store told him to do the same thing, Hensen said.

“I still saw the stream of home, in the case, you don’t know what’s going on at home floor,” Hensen said.

Hensen eventually could relax around 20:00. And patrick (R) announced A message by X The Senate would meet the special hours of the second session later, which effectively closes the legislature, without a new thc restriction or prohibition.

The ability to mobilize smoke shops quickly does not involve the participation of 8 billion texas hemp industry and its customer base against legislative threats this year. 2025. For the best part of the year, industry legislatures have been recorded with the uncertainty of legislators who ban or significantly reduce sales, but on Wednesday, the industry breathed a sigh of relief.

After eight months of the Commission, the hearing, discussions, decided the surprise. Greg Abbott (R) Filling the last minute hemp ban on June and Wednesday, status quo will be largely supported by the industry, for now. Hemp Derived Products: In comfort stores, liquor stores, smoke shops and drinks that sell some foods about the state, too, will be legal.

Cynthia Cabrera, President of the Texas Halamu Council Association, never relaxed this summer in two special sessions, a shortage of public effort from home to pass the entire ban on the hemp. He barely slept when the Senate early on Thursday morning.

“I’m glad I stayed the guardian,” Cabrera said, which is the main strategy of Hometown Hero, Austin-based Thc Product Manufacturer. “There is no rest for rest.”

The impasse of the legislature means a discussion to be made about hemp products. Patrick, who mentioned the use of children as a key motivator, has been confirmed XN posted It is committed to complete prohibition, despite the opposition of Abbott for a measure of such a measure.

Next step: Age restrictions

This year, the legislatures successfully passed some efforts to deal with the sale and marketing of products aimed at young people. For example, the ban Vape pen salesThose who have only passed through the usual session, which are explicitly through the usual session, to see frequently seen pens, lighters, smartphones or other items in schools.

But legislators failed to buy thc products by exceeding the age limit, despite the extensive support. Hemp Industrial Representatives said Welcome More Regulations Prohibit and Abbott directly The cow of the ban on thc hemp Call for restrictions including age limits.

“If public safety and minors were legitimate access, it would be resolved by the age of the age door,” Cabrera said. “This piece of approach means Charles Perry and Dan Patrick’s thought necessary to access products that Texans use daily.”

From a last special session, House 36. The bill It was based on banning products for children under 21. It was discussed among the last minute negotiations on Wednesday, although he finally died in a home committee, without receiving it.

This leaves age restrictions in the hands of merchants.

Hensen said his smoke shop, along with other stores that regularly communicate, have already limited access to their stores for 21 or more, as the state increased the age of 21st to 21.

Individual supporters also mentioned concerns about quality control quality control, Hensen said the first stores preferably.

“If you have a bad product on your shelves, the customer will not come again and buy again,” Hensen said. “There is no reason to be something that someone would send to the hospital.”

The damage already made

While the hemp industry avoided catastrophic prohibition, legislators decided to remove thc thcs in the market to be negatively affected by the decision. Hensen, together with other Austin smoking stores, calculated about 20 percent of sales per month.

“Yesterday I had a couple of people (THC) when requesting vapes,” Eduard Streltosov said a director of the Dream dream dream dream dream dream dend. “When I said, we didn’t have more, they left without buying anything.”

At the same time, marijuana medical expansions, therefore, has made discrepancies today, to sell Thc Vapes, tightening the first of the two cannabis.

Along with the hemp consumer, shops sell nicotine products, glass pipes and bongs. Most stores said that bannings would not be forced to completely extinguish, but it is likely that it would lead to some employees and dismissals for others.

The uncertainty of the hemp industry has also prevented growth. Austin Smoke & Vape intended to open a new location at the beginning of the year and hire more workers, but these plans paused in the spring as the prohibition measurement did during the legislature.

According to the legislature, the defenders have stated that the Department of State Health Services in Texas has already been able to supervise the law for the hemp industry, but the legislators rarely complied. Law enforcement officials believe Missing funding is regularly inspected and testing products Because fatal drugs like fentanyl take priority in crime laboratories.

The influence of the doctor marijuana

Conflicting laws of the country’s cannabis have put two sides of the industry against each other in Texas. Although it is legal derivative hemp, marijuana remains Federally unless illegal with a recipe. The highly regulated medical industry in the regulated Texas doctors have encouraged regulation and have no prohibition in the industry of his sister, Lossing customers to hemp industry.

Texas has been a medical marijuana program since 2015, and has expanded three times since 2019 and 2021 and this year. It is a restrictive program that only allow patients with a close number of conditions to buy marijuana from small number of authorized distributors.

Jervonne Singletary said a spokesman at Marijuana Mediciles at Goodblend.

“We want to make sure that people are taking that they are safe and effective,” Singles said. “At the end of the day, they are products with very few genetic differences in products, and therefore should be treated in a form or fashion way.”

As a result of the legislature, thc derived from hemp also affected the medical marijuana industry. Singletary’s company made calls worried about patients in the spring and summer, the legislative discussion could also be accessed to the Medical Marijuana.

The passage of the medical marijuana program will still be for the industry, singletarian said that the law does not seem to be similar to the hard conditions that the law stored their products. But the census could Take several monthsdelaying increased access to user support.

“Uncertainty has been difficult to plan, but I think that we can now proceed with this uncertainty that interferes with business development, and the industry can move forward with the legislature that actually supports the program.”

Heather Fazio, Defense Director of Texas Cannabis Policy Center, despite living discussions about marijuana and medical hemp, is closer to legalizing Texas recreation marijuana. The Fazio Defense Group has worked in the decade in the decade, to encourage the creation of the Marijuana Medijuana program, reducing marijuana property, protect the hemp industry and fully legalization of the drug.

“We are in the right direction, and we have significant conversations about these policies,” Fades said. “When we can have a seat at the table and when we have legislators at the table, we start breaking the problem and help us find shared values.”

This article originally appeared Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/05/05/06/09/10.

Marijuana is possible with the help of readers. If you are based on journalism to defend cannabis, consider the commitment to Patreon every month.

Cannabis News

“Steady coco peat demand expected ahead of key planting seasons”

Published

12 hours ago

January 11, 2026

admin

India’s supply of coir for export remains stable despite processing hiccups due to heavy rains, says Krishna Patil of Maharashtra-based produce export consultancy Krishna International Trade. “Availability is now stable due to improvements in coconut processing infrastructure in southern India. The flow of raw materials is now better managed than before, supporting both domestic consumption and export commitments.”

According to Patil, this year’s production has increased by 5-8% over last year, backed by better processing efficiency, mechanization and planning, with manufacturers also meeting export requirements. He said, “Supply generally appears balanced, but commodity fluctuations, container shortages and strict quality controls on EC, pH and moisture keep India’s coco peat exporters on the lookout. Strong process controls are essential to convert domestic grade material into export-matched quality.”

Patil’s coco peat export markets include Europe, particularly Spain, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. As he explains, “these markets are in regular cycles of planting and regeneration, so demand remains stable rather than sudden. Importers go beyond spot deals to find long-term partners. Domestically, local buyers often encounter quality differences and do not fully meet export specifications, although more users are now looking for export quality and standards.”

Coir peat is now more expensive to source, which Patil attributes to processing rather than demand. “Prices are 10% higher in recent months, mainly due to raw material shortages, higher logistics costs, slower drying due to two years of erratic rains, and not due to increased demand. Even if demand is stable, limited materials available for shipment and longer processing times are putting upward pressure on prices in the short term.”

Looking ahead, Patil sees demand growing steadily in the coming weeks and months as planting ramps up in key markets in Europe and the Middle East. “Prices may remain firm in the short term due to ongoing processing delays and limited ready stock due to the prolonged rain pattern. A gradual stabilization is expected over the next month or two. Once the weather normalizes, production lead times and material availability should improve, leading to a smooth return to balance.”

For more information: © Krishna International Trade
Krishna Patil
Krishna International Trade
Telephone: +91 90 22 810 343
Email: (email protected)
www.patilinternationaltrade.com

Cannabis News

Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Are Divided On How To Regulate Hemp THC Products

Published

13 hours ago

January 11, 2026

admin

“We would like to work together … to make sure – in my humble opinion – that we protect our constituents, but also I think it’s necessary to protect an industry.”

Isiah Holmes, to the Wisconsin Examiner

Wisconsin lawmakers are pushing for competing visions for the state’s hemp future.

One proposal, (SB 682), was discussed at Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Agriculture and Revenue Committee.

The bill would create a regulatory framework for hemp-derived cannabis products that would keep the state’s hemp industry afloat despite a federal ban that takes effect in November. Without state intervention, or the federal government choosing to reverse course, hemp growers and distributors fear Wisconsin’s $700 million industry and about 3,500 jobs will disappear.

Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), chairman of the Agriculture and Revenue Committee, introduced the bipartisan hemp bill to his committee, which he authored with bipartisan support.

Testin’s legislation would define hemp as any cannabis plant that contains no more than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC (or the maximum concentration allowed by federal law of up to 1 percent, whichever is greater) and would define “hemp-derived cannabinoids” as compounds extracted from the hemp plant. THC concentrations would be determined using specific high-throughput test methods.

The bill would require Wisconsinites to be at least 21 years old to purchase hemp-derived cannabinoid products, which would require the products to undergo independent laboratory testing to ensure they contain the amount and type of cannabinoids described on the product label. This practice, known as true labeling, is something the hemp industry has called for in recent years.

The products could not be sold based on the invoice including contact information for the manufacturer or brand owner, serving sizes for each container of the product, including allergens, ingredient lists, labeled potency in milligrams, and required warnings. According to the bill, hemp-derived products could not contain more than 10 milligrams of THC in a single serving.

Testin said Thursday that the industrial hemp market was worth about $11 billion in 2025, and would grow to $48 billion by 2032.

In Wisconsin, such products are “generally allowed legally but unregulated,” Testin said.

“There is no state law that restricts sales to minors, regulates the potency or content of (hemp-derived cannabinoid products), or imposes labeling or packaging requirements.” Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee and other states have enacted their own regulations, Testin said. “Regulations are needed (to remove the current uncertainty about the cannabinoid status of hemp-derived products), to provide stability and certainty to companies looking to enter this segment of the economy, and to enforce public safety regulations.”

Testin and Republican Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) have worked on hemp laws for Wisconsin since the federal Farm Bill passed in 2018.

“I actually grew hemp,” Kurtz said, recalling that in 2019 “it was kind of an open market.”

Kurtz and others who called him “bad actors” also rode the hemp wave throughout the hearing, seeing it as a “get-rich-quick scheme.” Kurtz said the hemp industry today is full of people who want to do the right thing, but the “bad actors” have persisted.

said Kurtz SB 682 It’s designed so Wisconsinites “know they’re getting the best product and what they’re getting.”

“If we do nothing, hemp will be illegal at the federal level … but it’s still going to be legal here in the state of Wisconsin. So it’s in our best interest to work together, to get a good compromise, to get some common sense legislation to make sure that — in my humble opinion — we protect our constituents, but also I think it’s necessary to protect an industry.”

While hemp would be illegal at the federal level, a state-level industry could operate similarly to the way some states have recreational or legalized cannabis programs, largely because the federal government has not cracked down on these industries.

Testin added, “Regardless of anyone’s thoughts on cannabis and cannabinoids, it’s here. And obviously, we have a lot of different perspectives on how we should move forward.”

He repeatedly blasted the “stupidity” of what he described as “our gentlemen” in Washington DC, but also criticized other hemp-related bills in Wisconsin. While some Republicans want to ban hemp products outright, others have different ideas about how a legal industry should be regulated.

Bill introduced by Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto). SB 681It would require licenses for manufacturers and distributors of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. The products would be sold under a three-tier system and would be regulated like alcohol under the Division of Alcoholic Beverages, a component of the Department of Revenue, which would be renamed the Division of Intoxicating Products.

Although Testin and Wimberger’s bill have garnered bipartisan support, Testin described Wimberger’s bill as a “dead bill” and “more dead than dead.”

Testin argued that SB 681 would over-regulate the hemp industry and lead to a monopolization effect where a small number of entities control who gets hemp permits, creating a competitive market and acting as a “good boys’ club.”

Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) highlighted the division among state Republicans over hemp and cannabis products, noting that Democrats are not the ones who support legalization and regulation.

The committee room was filled with people from across the hemp industry who listened to the conversation. When lawmakers asked how to ensure children don’t get intoxicating cannabis products, distributors and manufacturers pointed to age-verification software even for online sales, which require a photo and image of a driver’s license to accept an order.

Marketing of children’s products using cartoon-like advertising and attractive candy wrappers was discussed.

Some veterans have testified how hemp has helped them relieve pain, kick addictive pain killers, soothe PTSD symptoms, and help them relax their bodies to sleep.

Other testimony focused on the risk of crossing state lines into Michigan or Illinois to obtain cannabis to treat various medical conditions.

Hemp farmers insist they now need to know how a federal ban will affect them as they decide when or if to plant this spring.

Much of the public testimony was in favor of Testin’s bill, although some speakers said it should protect farmers and growers and expand the types of products to include beverages and gummies.

“Yes, we are now in a scenario where there are intoxicating hemp products,” Testin said. “But not just anything like beer, wine or alcohol, we need to put some sensible regulations in place, which is what this bill aims to do.”

“In terms of concerns about smoking or getting fat from these products,” Testin added, “it’s no different than people consuming too much stale fish fry or drinking too much beer on a Friday night. It’s one’s choice and responsibility, but at the same time, making sure we have some regulations in place.”

The hemp industry deserves to “grow and grow,” Testin said, adding that the public deserves protection and knowing that “this stuff isn’t falling into the hands of people it shouldn’t be, like children.”

This story was first published by the Wisconsin Examiner.

Brendan Cleak’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.

Cannabis News

New Global Sales Director announced for Rock River Laboratory

Published

2 days ago

January 10, 2026

admin

Rock River Laboratory, an international provider of agricultural analytics, data management tools and model development, today announced the hiring of David Williams as Global Sales Director to lead its expanded agronomy sales team. In this new role, Williams will integrate and lead representatives from A&L Canada Laboratories in London, Ontario; Auburn, Ind., Agri-Labs; and Frontier Labs in Clear Lake, Iowa, with the Rock River Laboratory team based in Watertown, Wisconsin.

“David’s diverse and dedicated leadership experience stands before him, and we have complete confidence in his ability to form cohesiveness in the expert teams we are assembling,” shares Zachery Meyer, CEO of Rock River Laboratory. “Customer service remains a top priority for our organization, and David’s work will ensure our commitment to customer success, strengthening the value our team members bring to our customers’ challenges and opportunities.”

Williams attended Southern Illinois University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, specializing in livestock production, and a Master of Science in ruminant nutrition. His experience includes nearly a decade in sales management and production oversight, most recently with Land O’Lakes – Purina Animal Nutrition. Prior to joining Purina, Williams managed a large beef-calf operation and served as assistant farm manager at the university’s beef and pork center, building on a production farming background that began on his family’s farm in southern Illinois.

A decorated infantry veteran, Williams has completed a combat deployment to Iraq, served in the Commanding General’s Mountain Color Guard out of Fort Riley, and continues as a chaplain in the Illinois Army National Guard.

For more information:
Rock River Laboratory
https://rockriverlab.com/