Texas Lawmakers File Bills to Legalize Cannabis for Adults

AUSTIN, TX — Texas lawmakers have filed legislation that would legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis, allowing adults 21 and older to possess, use and transport limited amounts of the drug.

The proposed Texas Regulation of Cannabis Act, filed as House Bills 369 and 362 by Reps. Joe Moody and John Bucy III, respectively, would allow adults to possess and transport up to 2 ounces of cannabis and no more than 15 grams of cannabis concentrate.

The legislation would also allow Texans to grow up to 12 cannabis plants at their private residences for personal use and establish a regulatory framework for retail cannabis sales.

A similar measure has also been filed in the Senate.

Both House bills include hemp in their definition of cannabis, potentially bringing hemp products under the proposed regulatory framework.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive compound in cannabis responsible for its intoxicating effects. Under federal and state law, hemp is defined as cannabis containing no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. However, some hemp products can produce intoxicating effects because of the amount of THC they contain.

Cannabis with higher THC concentrations is generally classified as marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law.

The legislation comes as Texas grapples with a state ban on most intoxicating hemp products. A separate federal ban targeting most hemp products is scheduled to take effect in December.