Texas Agriculture Commissioner Calls For Repeal Of Federal Hemp Ban Trump Signed Into Law

Texas Pushes Back: A Federal Hemp THC Ban Meets Its Match

Federal hemp THC ban. Say it out loud like a barstool confession after last call, and you can hear the glassware rattle. In Texas, that phrase is more than a headline—it’s a line in the sand. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller wants a repeal of the federal hemp THC ban that was just signed into law, arguing the policy will smother the cannabinoid market, close thousands of small businesses, and punish adults for the sins of a system that failed to keep intoxicating products out of kids’ hands. The man isn’t calling for chaos; he’s calling for grown-up rules. Protect minors, yes. But don’t torch an entire industry to light the way. This is the uncomfortable middle ground of marijuana policy reform—where the Texas cannabis market, already stitched together with executive orders and agency checklists, now collides with Washington’s broad brush. If you care about legal hemp products, the cannabinoid market, and the people who built businesses from dust and duct tape, the stakes aren’t abstract. They’re payrolls, leases, and the difference between survival and shuttered storefronts.

Between Two Fires: Public Safety And An Overcorrection

Here’s the twist: Miller says parts of the federal change are better than what Texas tried to jam through earlier this year. Why? Because synthetic cannabinoids were flowing through the side door—cheap, potent, and often within reach of teenagers. Age-gating was flimsy. Labeling was inconsistent. You didn’t need a black market when a seventh grader could buy a bag of gummies after school. Texas’s governor vetoed an earlier bill that would have kneecapped the hemp trade, then used an emergency order to set age limits and tighten rules—an imperfect but workable step toward cannabis regulation that treats adults like adults. Miller is no evangelist for recreational weed; he says he’s a proponent of medical use when it helps people with PTSD, epilepsy, or glaucoma. That nuance matters. The question isn’t whether to regulate—it’s how. If you want the straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth version, his recent TV hit lays it out without varnish (see the KDFW interview he shared on X; the station’s write-up is here: Fox4 News).

One Year, Thousands Of Jobs, And A Clock That’s Ticking

The ban doesn’t bite until next year. That sounds like time, until you consider the rent due, the loans coming, the holiday inventory already on order. Miller seems to think Congress could wrangle a fix before the curtain drops—maybe something more surgical that clamps down on youth access and synthetic loopholes without bulldozing compliant operators. Meanwhile, Texas agencies are still marching: new rules, compliance checklists, and a medical program expansion that hints at a future where access is broader, safer, and less improvisational. That’s the quiet irony—state systems are professionalizing just as a federal hammer threatens to flatten them. On Capitol Hill, there’s talk of carve-outs and federalism-friendly lanes, the kind of nuance you get only when lawmakers stare down the economic crater a blanket ban can leave. For a sense of where that debate is headed, see Congressional Lawmakers Want Exemption From Federal Hemp THC Ban For States With Regulations. The message is simple: regulate, don’t eradicate.

The Patchwork And The Pushback

Look beyond Texas and you see the national seams straining. Colorado’s governor lit into the proposed federal hemp THC restrictions, warning they’d stifle innovation and growth in a sector that’s been a lifeline for farmers and manufacturers when other crops don’t pencil out. That state-level defiance isn’t posturing; it’s a read on what happens when you criminalize demand instead of channeling it. If you want the flavor of that resistance, start with Colorado Governor Slams GOP Over Federal Hemp THC Ban That Will ‘Stifle Growth And Innovation’. Meanwhile, the rest of the map is morphing in real time. Massachusetts just moved to loosen its grip—doubling possession limits and retooling oversight—another sign the market is maturing while the rules try to catch up. It’s not Texas, but it’s the same American experiment with different spices: Massachusetts Senate Passes Bill To Double Marijuana Possession Limit And Revise Regulatory Commission. The throughline is obvious: a patchwork of cannabis taxation and regulation where federal preemption threatens to yank threads loose just as the quilt starts to hold.

Public health isn’t the enemy here; it’s the North Star. But good policy knows the difference between a guardrail and a roadblock. We’ve got data showing how people actually behave in legal markets—how they substitute, how they moderate, how the sky doesn’t fall when adults are trusted to make adult decisions. One federally funded study found people drink significantly less alcohol after consuming marijuana, a wrinkle that should matter to anyone serious about harm reduction and outcomes. For a snapshot of that behavioral pivot, see People Drink ‘Significantly Less Alcohol’ After Smoking Marijuana, Federally Funded Study Shows. So here we are: Texas on the fault line, a federal hemp THC ban looming, an industry staring down the barrel, and a politician saying the quiet part out loud—repeal the ban, regulate what matters, and stop pretending prohibition is policy. If you’re ready to explore compliant, high-quality options while the policymakers sort themselves out, take a look at our selection here: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.