Dallas Observer79%
Delta 8, other THC products to be banned in Texas starting July 31 40%
By Austin Wood53%
7/21/2026, 1:30:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 23 faulty reasoning types, including Post Hoc (False Cause), Negativity Bias, and Unattributed Quote, with Ambiguity (Equivocation) as the most egregious example at 16% saturation with 140 hits. Analysis detected 1,271 faulty-reasoning hits from 875 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 45.8% and a BS Rank of 40% (11,578 of 19,233 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 60.20% of the article peer group.
New restrictions on THC products will take effect in Texas later this month after a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court.
Debates over the sale of THC products in Texas have raged for the better part of the last decade as more and more businesses sell them.
The state has implemented regulations business owners have said are “an attempt to ban the industry,” while Dan Patrick-led Republicans appear poised to take another shot at the burgeoning sector next legislative session.
On July 31, products containing delta-8, delta-10, delta-6, and THCP will be banned in Texas.
The new regulations were originally adopted by state officials in 2021 to effectively ban THC products not containing THC-9.
Hemp industry leaders fought the restrictions in court and obtained an injunction from an Austin judge shortly after they were adopted.
In May, however, the Texas State Supreme Court upheld the rules and the state’s ability to enforce them, clearing the way for their implementation at the end of the month.
The new rules come into effect at a time when the state is placing more and more restrictions on hemp products in Texas.
A new law went into effect in 2025 banning the sale of vapes containing intoxicating cannabinoid products, while updated regulations from the Texas Department of State Health Services banned most smokable hemp products earlier this year.
The updated 2026 rules also increase yearly fees for retailers from $150 to $5,000 per location, with manufacturers required to pay $10,000 annually.
New rules
The debate over THC products in Texas largely goes back to Gov.
Greg Abbott’s signing of a 2019 bill, House Bill 1325.
Under the legislation, the sale and production of products containing 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight became legal in Texas.
House Bill 1325 was authored to align the state with federal statutes legalizing industrial hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill.
There are more than 9,100 stores licensed to sell consumable hemp in Texas, according to previous reporting by KUT Austin.
Since the bill was passed, products containing intoxicating cannabinoids such as delta-8, delta-10, delta-6 and THCP have been sold with increasing frequency in Texas.
These cannabinoids largely fell outside the scope of HB 1325, which is part of why the state amended the regulations in 2021.
Delta-9 and delta-8 are both intoxicating cannabinoids found in hemp products.
While delta-9 THC is the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis, delta-8 is found in much lower levels and is typically synthesized for retail sale.
Under HB 1325, the state differentiates between legal hemp based on delta-9 THC content, leaving delta-8 and other cannabinoids in a grey legal area.
The definitions enacted by DHSS in 2021, now set to take effect at the end of July, close the loophole by banning delta-8 and intoxicating cannabinoids other than delta-9 THC.
After July 31, all hemp products sold in Texas will have to be made with delta-9 levels compliant with state regulations.
The products available for sale will largely be limited to topical and ingestible products, according to prior reporting by The Dallas Morning News, with edibles, gummies and beverages containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight set to remain legal.
All other products, including smokable hemp flower and those containing delta-8, delta-10, delta-6 and THCP, will be banned starting July 31.
The Texas Hemp Business Council, which represents a number of industry professionals and business owners, said in a release that it does not plan to pursue further legal action against the state over its delta-8 restrictions.
The advocacy group is advising businesses to clear their stocks of non-compliant THC products.
All roads lead to Austin
Industry advocates and business owners have warned that the restrictions are excessive, especially compared to laws governing the liquor industry in Texas.
However, relief from state lawmakers appears to be far from guaranteed.
A group of conservative Texas Republicans has made THC regulation a leading priority.
Led by Lt.
Gov.
Dan Patrick, who has said that “a ban is the only way to truly protect kids from accessing these products,” their efforts culminated in the passing of SB 3 in 2025.
Under the bill, virtually all THC products in the state would have been banned.
However, after considerable backlash from the industry and some in his own party, Gov.
Abbott ultimately vetoed the bill and instead called for further regulations.
Patrick and his fellow lawmakers still seem set on enacting further restrictions in the next legislative session, which begins in January.
In his March list of priorities for Senate committees, Patrick charged the Senate Health and Human Services with studying “the impact of THC on increased health care costs, mental health emergency detentions, and the risk of being diagnosed with a THC-induced psychotic disorder.”
Sen.
Charles Perry, who authored SB 3, has said that he plans to introduce similar legislation in the next session.
At a Health and Human Services committee meeting earlier this month, Perry said, “There’s nothing good in this stuff.”
“I’m at my breaking point from a conscience level,” Perry told the committee.
“I don’t know as a society how we can allow this stuff to perpetuate itself in the name of profit.”
Analysis
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