Before Texas Republicans triggered a nationwide redistricting fight, state lawmakers were already battling over a contentious question: How should Texas manage its large and growing hemp-derived THC industry?

The fight began in early June after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) vetoed a statewide ban of THC products, one of the top legislative priorities of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R). Patrick, a staunch conservative who has long favored strict drug laws, saw the bill pass the state House and Senate with the support of GOP lawmakers, law enforcement, parents’ groups, and even a handful of Democrats.

But Abbott, with the support of the hemp industry, veterans groups, and the general public, preferred a regulatory approach. He vetoed that measure and called a special session to reconsider the hemp issue, along with other legislation he rejected. But the redistricting fight with Democratic state lawmakers derailed that special session. With a second special session now in progress, the state Senate has passed another ban, leaving the future of new hemp-derived THC regulations deeply uncertain, with profound consequences for consumer safety.

Both hemp and marijuana refer to the same plant, Cannabis sativa, but hemp is used to describe cannabis that contains 0.3 percent or less of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9 THC), the psychoactive ingredient that produces marijuana’s high. Under federal law, cannabis with more than 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC by dry weight is considered marijuana, an illegal Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).