Cannabis

A Texas House Committee has passed its own version of a Senate bill banning the sale of most consumable hemp products. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider says the substitute is substantially different from the original. May 7 will start the enforcement of REAL ID being required for all flights in the United States. Texans will know their license is REAL ID-compliant if it has a star in the corner, those without REAL ID can use approved alternatives or apply for a new license through the Department of Public Safety.

Wednesday afternoon, The Texas Senate passed a bill authored by Lubbock’s Sen. Charles Perry, that would ban the use and sale of THC products that are currently legal across the state. After an unexpectedly early spring break — with evacuations, gas leaks, power outages, fires, and closures on campus — our Bishop Van Buren reports Texas Tech University will resume classes on Monday as planned. This weekend is Lubbock's annual Bike Rodeo to teach kids about bike safety. The rodeo is open to the public and will take place Saturday from 1 to 3 P.M. at Safety City, located at 4500 Avenue U, in the southeast corner of Clapp Park.

The Texas Newsroom’s Nina Banks reports on two proposed bills in the Texas Legislature, authored by Lubbock state senator Charles Perry, that would restrict THC sales. Measles cases continue to rise in the region, including here in Lubbock. Our reporter Samantha Larned says health officials expect numbers to "pick up" in more densely populated areas.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said that one of his legislative priorities is to ban all consumable THC products in the state during the upcoming Texas legislative session.

Recreational marijuana is still illegal in Texas. The socially conservative legislature has voted it down year after year. And yet, with its exploding market for largely unregulated consumable hemp, Texas has inadvertently become the new Republic of THC.