THC ban advances again in Texas Senate, a month after Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto

A near-total ban on consumable hemp-based THC products advanced in a key Texas Senate panel Tuesday, in apparent defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott who last month told lawmakers he wanted them to regulate the $8 billion industry, not outlaw it. Senate Bill 5, by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, would criminalize gummies, vapes, drinks, snacks and smokable flowers containing any amount of the psychoactive compound THC, including marijuana and hemp. In other news, when Texas public school students return for classes this fall, their clubs and classrooms will be subject to a new DEI ban. Senate Bill 12 — signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott — prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 schools; the Professional Bull Riders association is objecting to the bankruptcy proceedings of Phil McGraw’s Merit Street Media, as part of an effort to recover disputed claims it estimates at $181 million; and for more than two months, chef Carlos Rodriguez, the owner of Fuego Burger in Fort Worth, has been using a cane due to a fracture he suffered after being attacked at his restaurant. He said he had two fractures and a torn ligament in his knee. He started a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $50,000 to cover his surgery and other injury-related expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised $6,700.

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