Texas Mulls a Delta-8 Ban That Smoke Shops Say Would Crush Business

Mark Mavrikos set up shop in North Texas about three years ago with one main goal: selling CBD. He’s established himself in the area and now has two CBD American Shaman locations. One is in Richardson and the other is in Lake Highlands. Not long after that, he began hearing about Delta-8 THC.

Delta-9 THC is the psychoactive component in marijuana that gets users high. It’s basically illegal in Texas. Delta-8 is the compound’s less psychoactive, currently legal cousin. It can come in the form of hemp flower, vapes or edibles.

After doing a lot of vetting and hunting down quality product, Mavrikos introduced Delta-8 to his customers in February. “It’s been one of our top sellers for the past three months,” he said. “People come in to get CBD, but they’ll also get the Delta-8, and they’re using them in conjunction together. … So, you’re getting a little bit of benefit from both products.”

The Delta-8 market has been booming in Texas and several other states. But some state lawmakers essentially want to ban it, and they just got a step closer to pulling that off. Cannabis reform advocates say if they're successful, the move will hurt businesses and their customers.

Read more: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/as-texas-weighs-banning-delta-8-smoke-shops-say-it-would-crush-business-12025763