Texas Ban On Selling Smokeable Hemp Temporarily Lifted By Judge

A Texas judge gave four hemp companies a procedural victory on Wednesday, temporarily lifting the state’s ban on smokeable hemp products. Activists celebrated the win and see it as a sign that the ban will be indefinitely removed as the case moves forward. While Texas legalized the nonintoxicating version of the cannabis crop last year, the law was written in a way that only prohibited the manufacturing of smokeable hemp, leaving an opportunity for businesses to import and sell the product from other states. But the state’s Department of State Health Services (DSHS) issued implementation regulations that went into effect earlier this month that go further and explicitly forbid the sale of any smokeable hemp products, prompting four companies to file suit in Travis County District Court. They argued that the ban is unconstitutional and asked the court to make it so companies can produce and sell the items in-state. Now, Judge Lora Livingston has taken preliminary action, issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) that enjoins the state from enforcing the ban on smokeable hemp producing, processing and sale. The TRO expires on September 2, when the court will hold a hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for temporary injunctive relief. “We applaud the judge’s decision,” Zachary Maxwell, president of Texas Hemp Growers, said in a press release. “While today’s ruling is not a concrete declaration that the state overstepped its boundaries, it does reinforce the idea that manufacturing, processing and selling smokable hemp products in Texas was perfectly legal prior…

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Source : MJ moment
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