All THC products sold in Texas must undergo mandatory third-party laboratory testing by an ISO 17025 accredited facility. Testing must include: full cannabinoid potency profile (Delta-9 THC, THCA, CBD, CBG, CBN, CBC), pesticide screening (minimum 66 analytes), heavy metal analysis (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury), microbiological testing (E. coli, Salmonella, Aspergillus), and residual solvent analysis. Results must be published via QR code on product packaging within 72 hours of testing completion. Testing frequency: every batch, no exceptions.
All products must use child-resistant packaging meeting ASTM D3475 standards. Dosing information must be clearly printed on packaging with serving size and total THC content per package. Warning labels must include: 21+ age requirement, pregnancy warning, driving impairment warning, and drug interaction notice. All products must include a scannable QR code linking to the Certificate of Analysis. Allergen information must be displayed for edible products.
TTSA offers voluntary retailer certification. Certified retailers must: verify age for every transaction (digital ID scan preferred), complete annual product knowledge training (8 hours minimum), maintain COA records for all products on shelves, pass annual compliance audit, and display TTSA certification prominently. Certified retailers receive: TTSA seal for marketing, listing in the TTSA verified retailer directory, and priority notification of regulatory changes.
Hemp product manufacturers in Texas should adhere to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards aligned with 21 CFR Part 111. This includes: documented standard operating procedures, equipment calibration records, batch production records, employee hygiene requirements, and quality control testing at multiple production stages. Extraction facilities must maintain explosion-proof environments and use food-grade solvents only. All ingredients must be traceable to their source.
The 2018 Farm Bill explicitly authorizes interstate commerce in hemp products. TTSA advocates for: clear federal shipping guidelines for hemp products, standardized state-to-state compliance verification, protection for carriers transporting legal hemp, and a federal preemption framework that prevents individual states from blocking legal interstate shipments. Texas businesses should be free to receive inventory from licensed growers in any legal state.
Texas hemp farmers deserve fair, predictable regulation. TTSA advocates for: tiered licensing fees based on farm revenue (not flat fees that crush small operators), 24-month compliance transition windows for new rules, grandfathering of existing license holders at their current rates, and protection from retroactive enforcement. The current Texas DSHS fee increase from $258 to $10,000 for manufacturers would drive 50%+ of legal operators underground. This is not regulation — it is prohibition by pricing.
Governor Abbott’s executive order GA-56 directed DSHS to regulate the safety of hemp products — specifically to keep them from minors. It did not authorize the agency to rewrite the statutory definition of hemp from Delta-9 THC to Total THC. That is a legislative function. The Texas Legislature expressly rejected SB 3, SB 5, and SB 6, which attempted to impose a Total THC standard through the proper legislative process. DSHS and HHSC cannot accomplish through administrative rulemaking what the Legislature refused to enact. TTSA advocates for clear separation of powers: agencies regulate safety within their statutory authority; they do not create new law.
Over 200,000 Texans — an estimated 80% Black and Brown — have been wrongfully arrested due to false-positive field testing that cannot distinguish legal hemp from illegal cannabis. These arrests destroy lives, careers, and families over a legal agricultural product. TTSA advocates for: immediate expungement of all cannabis-related arrests where the substance would be legal under the 2018 Farm Bill definition, moratorium on field testing as probable cause for cannabis arrests, mandatory lab confirmation before charges are filed, restitution programs for those whose lives were disrupted by false arrests, and community reinvestment in neighborhoods most impacted by the War on Drugs.
TTSA proactively addresses the impaired driving concern — one of the strongest arguments opponents use against cannabis reform. Current THC blood testing is scientifically unreliable as an indicator of impairment: THC metabolites persist in the body for 30+ days, a positive blood test does NOT prove impairment at the time of driving, and no validated “cannabis breathalyzer” exists. TTSA advocates for: performance-based impairment assessments (reaction time, coordination, attention) rather than THC blood levels, state-funded research into cannabis-specific field sobriety protocols, rejection of per se THC blood limits as scientifically unsound, Drug Recognition Expert certification for law enforcement, and data collection on traffic safety outcomes in Texas.
H.R. 5371, signed November 12, 2025, redefines hemp to include Total THC (including THCA) and caps finished products at 0.4 mg per container — effective November 12, 2026. A single gram of THCA flower at 20% potency contains approximately 200 mg of THCA — more than 500 times the new federal limit. This eliminates 95% of existing hemp products. TTSA advocates for: Texas legislative action to establish a state-level regulatory framework, business transition support with reformulation guidance and compliance extensions, science-based THC per serving limits, an economic impact study before additional state restrictions, support for H.R. 6209 (American Hemp Protection Act) to repeal the amendments, and preservation of edibles and non-smokable products that survive both the Texas ban and the federal deadline.