Key Takeaways:
- Texas’s attempt to ban hemp-derived THC products failed—for now. Senate Bill 3, which would have banned products like delta-8, was vetoed, leaving current laws in place. A special session beginning July 21 with consumable hemp regulation is at the top of the agenda.
- Arkansas’s Act 629 survives federal challenge. The Eighth Circuit ruled that it does not conflict with the 2018 Farm Bill and is not unconstitutionally vague.
- States may continue to diverge on hemp policy. The Eighth Circuit decision reinforces states’ authority to tightly regulate or prohibit intoxicating hemp products, adding to a patchwork legal landscape that cannabis and hemp businesses must navigate carefully.
As every reader of this blog should know, on June 21, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott vetoed Senate Bill 3, a measure that would have effectively banned consumable hemp products containing THC and imposed infeasible costs and regulations on other hemp products. In his veto message, Abbott pointed to a then-active federal court decision that had blocked enforcement of Arkansas’s similar hemp law, suggesting it demonstrated legal vulnerability in banning these products.Continue Reading Texas Governor’s Hemp Product Veto Highlights National Legal Uncertainty—Even as Cited Ruling Is Overturned