If you regularly travel with THC gummies for physical comfort or as a sleep aid, you'd better remove them from your bags before you go to Texas, or you could wind up in prison.
Going against the prevailing legal currents surrounding cannabis use in the country, the state of Texas just began enforcing a rule that targets most hemp-derived THC products as Schedule I controlled substances, defined as drugs that have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."
Other Schedule I drugs are heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.
Check the side pockets in your luggage and scour the secret spots of your toiletry bag, because while THC products may be legal everywhere else you travel, buying or possessing them in the Lone Star State now carries the risk of a felony conviction. Penalties range from 180 days to 2 years in jail, with fines of up to $10,000.
For the record: Studies have confirmed medical uses for cannabis products, the number of marijuana users now surpasses cigarette smokers, and 14,000 businesses are licensed to sell consumable hemp products in Texas.
"Cannabis experts estimate the reclassification could take 60% to 90% of THC products out of circulation," writes the Texas Tribune.
The THC products Texas now says it's a felony to have
The new ban affects most synthetically derived hemp products, including:
• delta-8 THC
• delta-10 THC
• THCP
• THCA flower
• other synthetic hemp-derived THC variants
A few THC products are not affected, as long as they contain no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. Among those products:
• delta-9 gummies and other edibles
• delta-9 beverages
• delta-9 tinctures
Smokable delta-9 hemp is also permitted, but its legal status is currently tied up in court and could change.
Don't know which category applies to your favorite THC product? Not sure if your THC products are derived from natural THC or synthetic hemp products?
Then you'd better not risk it in Texas. Leave the stuff at home and try to fall asleep using something else, like a heavy barbecue dinner.
In the past, the wide acceptance of THC products in dozens of states meant that TSA workers didn't care too much if travelers had a few gummies in their luggage at airport security checkpoints. The agency said workers wouldn't go out of their way to look for marijuana, which remains illegal on the federal level, but would notify law enforcement if the drug's presence in luggage was super-obvious.
But we're in an unpredictable new era now. Lawsuits have been launched to nullify the Texas ban, but while these harsh rules are in effect, there's no telling what a grouchy Texas-based luggage inspector will do if they find your stash.