Texas is eliminating hemp from its list of controlled substances, bringing it in line with federal law but possibly feeding confusion about the legality of some hemp-based products.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is on Friday removing hemp from a list of Schedule I drugs that can be abused and have no authorized medical use, the Dallas Morning News reported. Other Schedule I drugs include Kratom.
Hemp and marijuana are both derived from the cannabis plant, but hemp has low levels of THC, the psychoactive compound that gets marijuana users high.
Declassifying hemp doesn’t clear up the legality of hemp products currently sold in Texas, such as pain creams and oils, according to some legal experts.
“It’s really not going to have any direct impact other than to confuse people even more,” said Shannon Edmonds, staff attorney with the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.
Read more at AP News.