OP / ED
Across the state, lawful hemp retailers are raided, their employees arrested and their businesses shuttered. The reason is not just outdated law enforcement tactics — it is a forensic trap exploited by police and crime labs to turn legal hemp into “illegal marijuana.” And no one profits more from this science fiction than Armstrong Forensic Laboratory, the preferred testing partner for dozens of Texas law enforcement agencies. In Texas, legality does not always equal safety, especially if you’re in the hemp business.
At the heart of this issue is THCA, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid and precursor to delta-9 THC, the compound responsible for marijuana’s intoxicating effects. Texas law is clear: hemp is legal if it contains no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight. Critically, THCA is not regulated by Texas statute at all.
