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Tag: Texas Hemp News

For Immediate Release: CRAFT Leads the Way in Hemp Compliance as SB 3 Threatens Industry

Written by Jay Maguire on . Posted in Texas Legal & Regulatory News. No Comments on For Immediate Release: CRAFT Leads the Way in Hemp Compliance as SB 3 Threatens Industry

As the Texas Legislature debates SB 3—a bill that would ban all THC products—responsible hemp retailers across the state are stepping up to protect their businesses, their customers, and their communities.

For the past 18 months, Texas hemp industry advocates, business owners, policy and legal experts have worked to create a set of training modules, model store manuals, SOPs and other compliance-related business standards that can be adopted statewide to assist small businesses with building their compliance and sales capacity while pushing back against the false narratives being used to push the Prohibitionist ban agenda. The Cannabis Retailers Alliance for Texas (CRAFT) is a multi-sector industry-led effort to prove that the hemp industry is capable of self-regulation. Our members have voluntarily implemented a 21+ age policy, adopted rigorous product sourcing and testing standards, and developed a comprehensive Retailer Playbook to help businesses stay compliant in a shifting legal environment.

Our members didn’t wait for politicians to tell them what’s right,” said Jay Maguire, CRAFT co-founder and spokesperson. “Moral panics don’t start with facts—they start with fear. And that’s exactly what Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Senator Charles Perry relied on: Reefer Madness-style scare tactics and cherry-picked anecdotes. Even when the stories were true, they were outliers—not the norm. The vast majority of retailers are doing the right thing. CRAFT members voluntarily enforce a 21+ age policy and card every customer at the point of sale—just like alcohol and tobacco. That’s what responsible businesses do.”

When Lt. Governor Dan Patrick visited Happy Cactus shop in Austin last week unannounced and looking for evidence of super-high THC products, he was expecting a political “gotcha” moment. What he found instead was a professional, compliant business, stocked with compliant products and operated with trained staff following company policy, carding customers and following best practices. That’s not politics—that’s policy in action.

Key leaders in the hemp space are weighing in:

• Rhiannon Yard, owner of Hemp Gaia, says: “We teach retailers how to verify COAs match the products on their shelves and ensure lab tests were done using the correct methods at accredited labs. That’s how we protect our customers and our licenses.”

• Nick Mortillaro, owner of Lazydaze Coffeeshops, adds: “Retailers need to cut through the buzz and noise with real, evidence-based education. That’s what CRAFT provides.”

• Brian Dombrowsky, owner of Aim High Distro, says: “CRAFT helps business owners stay licensed and build trust by educating their communities about what they do.”

The public already supports this approach. Polls show that 68% of Texans favor safe, regulated access to THC—and the $8 billion Texas hemp market proves they’re voting with their wallets.

📣 To read the full press release or to join the movement, visit joincraft.org

If you’d like to learn more, speak with a CRAFT spokesperson, or schedule a visit to one of our member retailers, feel free to reach out directly.

Best regards,

Jay Maguire

CRAFT Co-founder and Spokesperson

📧 [email protected]

📞 512-954-8054

Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas demand Law enforcement stop using questionable standards

Written by T3mPl@teAdm1n on . Posted in News.

Police Across Texas Using Faulty Testing to Raid Small Businesses Selling Legal Hemp
Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas Demand Law Enforcement Stop Using Questionable Standards

For Information: Kevin Lampe, Kurth Lampe Worldwide, 312-617-7280, kevin@kurthlampe.com

Over the past year, local police and sheriff’s departments have relied on faulty testing of legal hemp products. These departments are using analytical methods that the Texas Department of Public Safety official testified to in front of a legislative committee – that the analytical methods should be used to determine the legality of products sold in Texas.
Recently, a sheriff stated in the news media he doesn’t care about the science behind the analytical methods. These methods may provide law enforcement with fraudulent results. While these unsuspecting agencies have the best intentions to protect their neighborhoods, but they act on flawed intelligence.
“What is disappointing is that these law enforcement agencies are acting recklessly. It is as if they do not care about bonafide testing. They find a testing results that suit their purpose and then raid a small business and seize legal products,” said AJ Valador of Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas. “Our member businesses are being targeted by overzealous law enforcement. They seem more interested in creating headlines than following legal standards.”
Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas is committed to working with law enforcement agencies to provide support through training and transparency.  HILT wishes to be a resource for law enforcement.
“Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas (HILT) will aggressively support our members and just as aggressively criticize bad actors in the Texas hemp industry. As a combat veteran, I am used to being mission-driven. Our mission is to provide our community with safe and legal hemp products. We do not tolerate illegal or shady activity in our industry,” added Valador.
“The members of HILT are committed to maintaining and developing a Texas hemp industry that is responsible and ethical. We share a common goal of offering products that provide natural, effective alternatives to traditional products, helping individuals manage chronic pain, reduce inflammation, alleviate stress and anxiety, and improve sleep quality,” said Nick Mortillaro, HILT Austin Chapter President and Managing Partner of Lazydaze Coffeeshops.Academic experts in the field of chemical testing are troubled by how hemp is tested in the United States. One scientist has reached the following conclusion.

“In my professional opinion, testing hemp-derived cannabinoids in the US has been an ongoing problem due to the high variability between labs combined with the lack of uniform protocols and procedures amongst these testing facilities. With no federal oversight regulating the labs, “lab shopping” has become very common in the hemp industry. Thus, certificates of analysis may vary greatly depending on the lab that was used and may not be a reliable source for law enforcement to use when products are seized.” wrote Dr Andrea Homes in a legal affidavit filed in the lawsuit against the Allen, Texas Police department.
Dr. Holmes continued, “The hemp industry should be able to rely on certificates of analysis provided to manufacturers by federally certified and regulated testing facilities, which will serve legally to protect all parties such as to product wholesalers, retailers, and consumers.”
Dr. Holmes is a recognized expert in the chemical testing of hemp products. She is a tenured university professor of chemistry with a background in synthetic organic chemistry, biomedical research, and analytical testing. She has considerable experience with hemp manufacturing and analytical testing.

The raids have not survived lawsuits brought by Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas (HILT) and its legal counsel, David Sergi. HILT has been holding law enforcement accountable for its actions.
“Many recent raids have used testing procedures as the basis for search warrants. The raids generate news coverage, consumers are afraid to patronize small businesses, and the business is hurt, and the owner’s reputation is damaged,” according to Sergi. “Yet, none of the cases have been tried or a conviction secured.”
Sergi is litigating cases in Allen and Waco, Texas, where law enforcement has used analytical testing to accuse local store owners of selling illegal products that were reported to contain more than the legal limit of delta9-THC. Recently, the city of Post, Texas, and ​​the Garza County Sheriff’s Office settled a lawsuit for $80,000 after local police used questionable testing as a basis for the raid.
HILT calls on law enforcement and the local community to protect these local businesses and the people they serve. Many citizens, veterans, and seniors depend on compliant hemp to help them each day with discomfort, mood, and rest. Let’s stand up for their rights to purchase legal products that improve their health and wellness.-30-

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