Texas smokable hemp ban up in smoke after court ruling
Texas’ hemp businesses earned a breath of confidence Thursday when a ban on smokable hemp products was put on-holdby Judge Lora Livingston of the 261st District Court in Travis County.
The court released a letter ruling Thursday expressing Judge Livingston’s intent to issue a temporary injunction (TI) against the state’s smokable hemp product ban. The TI would continue the terms already in effect from the current temporary restraining order until the next hearing, which is scheduled for February 1, 2021.
With this ruling in place, the Department of State Health Services will not be allowed to enforce its harmful ban on manufacturing, processing, distributing or retailing smokable hemp products.
This effectively means retail shops may continue ordering and selling items like pre-rolls, hemp cigarettes, and vape cartridges, as well as whole hemp flower. which technically had a carved out exception. Manufacturers may also continue producing smokable products for the market.
But this is just an early victory. Not only can the state appeal the TI, but the overall legal fight has just started.
We can and should do more to support the good fight being put forward by attorneys and plaintiffs in the case.
We concluded our last round of fundraising at $15,000. With these promising results, I think we should increase our contribution.
Texas Hemp Growers has raised its Go Fund Me fundraising goal to $30,000. Will you chip in to help get this legal fight over the next hurdle?
All donations are deposited into the Texas Hemp Legal Defense Fund, which is managed by the attorneys working this case.
In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears peeled for any attempts by DSHS to enforce this ban. Report any incidents to Texas Hemp Growers as soon as possible, so that we can take appropriate action.
