Texas is one of those states where prohibition refuses to go away despite strong approval from society.
While there is a medical marijuana program, to say it is restrictive is like saying nothing. Texas only allows low-THC cannabis oil for a few debilitating conditions.
Recreational use remains heavily punishable. It has been like this since 1931, and nothing seems to be changing any time soon (sorry to bring your spirits down).
The only legal alternative to marijuana in Texas is hemp-derived delta 8 THC.
Read on to learn about cannabis laws in Texas.
No, you can’t legally buy marijuana online in Texas. Selling marijuana is a felony, so whenever you come across someone on social media advertising to sell or give away weed, it’s either a scam or desperate dealers looking for equally desperate customers.
Not only is buying marijuana online illegal in Texas, but it can also be dangerous to your health. Black market cannabis isn’t tested for toxins, so many crops from illegal plants end up contaminated with dangerous levels of pesticides and heavy metals.
However, there’s one simple workaround if you want to enjoy psychoactive cannabinoids in Texas.
Marijuana is heavily criminalized in Texas, making cannabis aficionados look for legal options to reap the health benefits from the psychoactive buzz.
Until recently, the only legal alternative to marijuana in Texas has been CBD.
But CBD doesn’t get you high
Fortunately, thanks to recent breakthroughs in extraction technologies, a new(ish) cannabinoid have become mainstream.
Ever heard of delta 8 THC?
It’s less potent than delta 9, creates a smoother high, and is federally legal.
Before we look deeper into the qualities of delta 8 THC, you may be wondering why some people choose to avoid marijuana.
Most cannabis users can enjoy the psychoactive effects of delta 9 THC without any barriers. In low and moderate doses, THC acts as a powerful relaxant and induces euphoria accompanied by a boost in appetite and altered perception of one’s surroundings.
THC also offers an array of medical benefits, such as relief from pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression symptoms, neurodegeneration, sleep difficulties, and eating disorders.
But not everybody responds well to the high created by delta 9 THC.
In sensitive users, high doses of marijuana can lead to:
In extreme cases, your blood sugar levels may suddenly drop and you may start feeling faint.
The psychoactive effects of delta 8 THC are calmer and less anxious. Here’s why:
THC has many isomers; the two most popular versions are delta 9 and delta 8 THC.
Delta 9 is the primary intoxicating ingredient in marijuana — the one that gets you high.
On a molecular level, delta 8 and delta 9 THC are strikingly similar. But the way their atoms are arranged makes delta 8 about 50% less potent than delta 9.
Delta 8 THC has a double bond at the eighth carbon chain, while for delta 9, this bond is at the ninth chain.
Delta 8 also offers similar benefits to delta 9 THC. People use it to ease stress, anxiety, and depression. Delta 8 can also boost energy or induce sleep when infused with specific terpenes.
Now you probably can’t wait to head to your nearest hemp store and try out delta 8 THC for yourself.
But before you rush, make sure you’ve carefully researched your store’s reputation. The delta 8 THC space is unregulated, with no manufacturing and lab testing standards in place. There’s a surprisingly large number of low-quality, contaminated products being sold on the shelves of local stores.
If you’re looking for the best deals on high-quality delta 8 THC in Texas, we recommend finding a reputable online store.
When you shop for delta 8 online, you can look into third-party lab reports, compare customer reviews from different websites, read the company’s “About Us” section, and reach out to other users on forums like Reddit or on social media platforms.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg; below you’ll find the other perks of buying from an online supplier.
Even if marijuana was legal in Texas, you wouldn’t be able to buy it online from another state because federal law considers marijuana a Schedule I drug.
This contradiction means that even ordering marijuana between two legal states is classified as drug trafficking and can result in jail time on top of hefty fines.
With delta 8 THC, it’s a different story.
Delta 8 THC can be extracted from hemp by converting CBD with the use of specialized catalysts. Such products still contain 0.3% of delta 9 THC (or less), making delta 8 products legal under the 2018 Farm Bill.
Even if there are no reputable hemp stores in your neighborhood, you can order delta 8 THC online and enjoy discreet delivery.
Cannabis brands are known for their timely deliveries. Once you’ve made up your mind and paid for your other, the products should arrive within 2-3 business days.
The extra time is worth waiting, considering that you’re buying lab-tested, certified products from organic plants.
The primary reason why some cannabis users are turning to delta 8 THC is that d8 gets them high but doesn’t induce anxiety and paranoia. Since delta 8 is about half as potent as delta 9, you’d need to take twice the amount to experience the same intensity of effects.
Of course, you can still have some classic side effects, such as red eyes, dry mouth, munchies, or short-term memory loss.
Despite a delayed onset in some forms — a delta 8 tincture can kick you in 1.5 hours — the effects are longer-lasting than with other psychoactive cannabinoids. Some of them, such as appetite stimulation, are even more noticeable, so make sure you have some snacks at hand during your next sesh.
Before you find the right delta 8 THC vendor, it may take a significant amount of time to tear through mediocre companies and their sub-par extracts.
You need to examine the third-party lab reports; check for the product’s potency and see if it’s not contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, or bleaches; then you have hundreds of user reviews to read through, not to mention the company’s website to learn as much as possible about its manufacturing and testing practices.
Feeling overwhelmed by just reading the above? Don’t worry, we’ve done the digging for you. After checking out over 30 delta 8 brands and testing their products, we’ve picked out our two favorite companies that offer the best value for money.
Area 52 is a California-based manufacturer that focuses on exploring the lesser-known cannabinoids, such as delta 8 THC, CBC, CBG, and CBN. The brand has made its name in the cannabis space by introducing a selection of premium delta 8 THC extracts based on distillate.
The Area 52 product line-up features formats like tinctures, gummies, vape carts, and pre-rolled joints infused with terpenes from various cannabis strains.
Area 52 sources its hemp from organic hemp farms in Colorado and Kentucky. These farms provide remarkably terpene-rich strains that leverage the entourage effect in cannabis.
It’s one of the best companies to purchase from if you’re looking for artisanal products with well-thought-out formulas.
Finest Labs is known for its scientific approach to making cannabinoid extracts. The company’s mission is to transform the industry by reducing the environmental impact of extraction technologies. Unlike many other companies in the business, Finest Labs doesn’t use harsh acids and gases to make its products.
These practices are validated by a meticulous lab-testing system that provides insight into the entire chemical profile of the end product.
Finest Labs offers a similar range of products to Area 52 — tinctures, gummies, and vape carts — but in slightly lower potencies. This translates into a lower cost per product, making Finest Labs a decent brand if you’re shopping on a lower budget but still want good quality delta 8 products.
If you’re interested in creating your own cannabinoid extracts, Finest Labs offers a generous selection of botanical terpenes from organically grown plants. You can buy them as single molecules or special mixes that recreate the flavor and experience of some signature cannabis strains.
Marijuana in Texas is illegal for recreational use. The state has a medical marijuana program for patients, but it only allows using low-THC cannabis oil by patients with intractable forms of epilepsy.
Here’s more about the different marijuana regulations in Texas.
In Texas, marijuana is illegal because the law classifies it as a Schedule I drug under the Texas Controlled Substances Act (TCSA).
The state laws align with the federal regulations on marijuana. This means that the use, possession, sale, distribution, and production of marijuana for recreational use is prohibited and criminalized.
Texas marijuana possession laws are some of the harshest in the nation. If you’re caught with two ounces or less of marijuana, it’s a class B misdemeanor, which can result in 180 times in jail alongside a maximum fine of $2,000.
Possession of up to four ounces of marijuana is a class A misdemeanor. The penalties include a fine of $10,000 and up to one year in prison.
Being caught with larger quantities of marijuana, especially with the intent to sell, is a felony. The mandatory minimum sentence is five years, and the maximum jail time is 99 years.
Medical marijuana is currently legal in Texas but heavily regulated. The state authorities first legalized medical marijuana in 2015 by signing Texas Compassionate Use Act. The new law allowed patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy to use cannabis oil with less than 0.5% THC.
In 2019, the list of qualifying conditions was expanded to terminal cancer, autism, seizure disorders, and incurable neurological conditions.
To wrap it up, you can use low-THC cannabis oil if you’ve been diagnosed with:
No, smoking marijuana in public is illegal in Texas. Even the definition of medical marijuana excludes smokeable forms, so you can’t smoke cannabis even if you’re a patient.
Since marijuana is illegal in Texas, you can’t travel with it because you’ll be charged with a class B misdemeanor (if you have 2 ounces or less).
As a medical marijuana patient, you’re allowed to travel with your cannabis oil. It’s wise to have your doctor’s written recommendation and proof of purchase just in case the police wanted to verify the source of your medicine.
Yes, CBD hemp oil and other hemp-derived products are legal in Texas. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp by removing it from the list of controlled substances.
Hemp is an agricultural commodity that can be grown and sold for any use, including food, textiles, biofuel, construction materials, ropes, and health supplements like CBD oil.
However, the FDA recognizes CBD as a “new drug” or “novel food,” so there are no regulations surrounding the quality and purity standards of such products.
It’s a similar situation to what the delta 8 THC market looks like.
Currently, your best chances of finding high-quality products at reasonable prices are through a reputable online store.
Texas has a zero-tolerance policy surrounding marijuana. While there’s a scarce medical marijuana program, recreational use is still heavily criminalized.
Even in cities that decriminalized possession of small amounts, you’re risking a ticket for having weed in public.
If you want to legally enjoy psychoactive cannabinoids in Texas, consider checking out hemp-derived delta 8 THC. This cannabinoid offers similar health benefits to delta 9, but the high is smoother and less anxious. But most importantly, it’s federally legal.
Short on time? Feel free to check out our brand recommendations from this guide.
Livvy is a registered nurse (RN) and board-certified nurse midwife (CNM) in the state of New Jersey. After giving birth to her newborn daughter, Livvy stepped down from her full-time position at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. This gave her the opportunity to spend more time writing articles on all topics related to pregnancy and prenatal care.
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