Late Wednesday, the Texas House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would outlaw all THC-containing goods, thus signaling the end of the state's brief hemp era.

Adults who possess hemp products containing any quantity of THC might be imprisoned for up to a year under the legislation, which is almost ready to be approved by the governor. This is a harsher punishment than the current law, which only allows for the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana. The anticipated adoption of the measure would essentially shut down a sector that, according to one estimate, supports around 50,000 jobs and brings in $8 billion in tax revenue yearly, causing a little economic earthquake for the state.

THC products, which are currently widely available at convenience shops, petrol stations, and hundreds of other establishments throughout Texas, are about to be removed from the market. The reversal occured six years after lawmakers, hoping to stimulate Texas agriculture, approved the sale of edible hemp, unintentionally igniting a huge boom in hemp-based products.

The 2019 law does not set the same threshold for other hemp derivatives, even though it prohibits items from having more than trace levels of delta-9 THC. More than 8,000 stores already offer sweets, beverages, vapes, and flower buds laced with THC, according to critics who claim the hemp business has taken advantage of this legal loophole.

The decision put an end to months of speculation about how the House would respond to conflicting proposals to regulate or outlaw THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana.