Texas Hemp Business Council Releases New Public Health Analysis on THC Regulation and Public Health Priorities

Policy Paper Provides Comparative Framework for Evaluating THC-related Health, Safety and Regulatory impacts

AUSTIN, Texas, July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Texas Hemp Business Council (THBC) today released a new policy analysis concluding that available evidence does not support treating hemp-derived THC products as a public health threat on the scale of alcohol, tobacco, opioids or illicit fentanyl.

Developed in response to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s interim charge and released following last week’s Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing on the societal impacts of THC products, the report provides a comparative framework for evaluating THC-related health, safety, fiscal and regulatory issues alongside other major public health challenges facing Texas.

“While the lieutenant governor continues his longstanding crusade to ban hemp-derived products, Texans deserve a policy discussion grounded in facts, not rhetoric or mischaracterizations,” said Cynthia Cabrera, president of the Texas Hemp Business Council. “Unfortunately, last week’s hearing was a travesty of the legislative process. The committee heard one-sided testimony, ignored critical data and excluded perspectives from legal businesses, consumers and public policy experts who could have provided a more complete picture of the issue.”

The policy paper, “THC and Public Health Priorities in Texas: A Comparative Framework for Evaluating Public Health Burdens, Costs & Regulatory Responses,” examines how Texas allocates public health resources and addresses major issues including opioid addiction, illicit fentanyl, tobacco-related disease, alcohol misuse, behavioral health and other related matters. Key takeaways include:

• Texas’ public health and law enforcement resources should be focused on fentanyl and opioids, the substances causing the greatest harm in Texas communities.

• Texas already has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place.

• Fiscal responsibility means directing limited state resources where they will have the greatest impact.

• History has repeatedly shown that regulation protects consumers better than bans that drive demand underground.

• Policy decisions should be driven by facts, not fear.

“Texas’ own fiscal analysis projected that a ban on hemp-derived THC products would cost the state millions in lost revenue while forcing many licensed businesses to close,” said Mark Bordas, executive director of the Texas Hemp Business Council. “Yet some Texas leaders continue pursuing a prohibition agenda that has failed every time it has been tried. Banning legal hemp products will not eliminate consumer demand, it will hand the market to unregulated operators, reduce consumer protections and create the very public safety risks policymakers claim they want to prevent. At a time when federal policymakers are working to preserve lawful hemp commerce, Texas should be focused on smart regulation, not repeating the costly mistakes of the past.”