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Tag: CBD Austin

Are Texas Hemp Shop Raids A Real Concern?

Written by Austin Z on . Posted in Texas Legal & Regulatory News.

There is no secret about it: Sales of hemp-derived products have exploded all across the Lone Star State. Just about every CBD store, smoke shop, and even gas stations are displaying a multitude of various hemp cannabinoid products with contents ranging from broad spectrum CBD isolate  to very potent THC and  THC derivatives. In fact, a recent report by Whitney Economics suggests Texas businesses engaged in the hemp retail sector are bringing in 8 million dollars in revenue and hiring 50,000 people (1). That is a substantial number in a state where “marijuana” is still illegal.

However, not everyone is winning in this emerging market. Reports began dropping on June 7th of this year, a shop selling hemp-derived products in Garland was raided by local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (2). Bee Hippy Hemp was accused of selling illegal THC products and law enforcement seized the store’s products and other assets. The owner has since maintained their business did nothing wrong, all the products were federally and state compliant, and they had proof of valid Certificates of Authenticity (COA).

Soon after, a shop in another North Texas town   called Happy Hippies faced a near similar situation. On August 29th Little Elm PD obtained a warrant to find illegal THC products. They ended up seizing thousands of dollars of products for testing, but made no arrests. Then came Venom Vapors in Killeen on October 20th. This time, the owners were told by police  their COAs, which allegedly were valid, had levels of THC too high to be legal. Killeen PD believed the THC levels established probable cause for a warrant to be issued to seize the product, no matter what hemp laws say. This happening in a city that has decriminalized misdemeanor amounts of marijuana through a local referendum.

 

While all of these cases are currently under active investigation or pending prosecution, one common theme among them is the lack of understanding of Texas hemp law by local, state, and federal police,  and how they are translating it against long-standing marijuana enforcement. Hemp law was established in 2019 at the Texas Legislature, which virtually legalized everything about the cannabis plant except levels of delta-9 THC over .3% concentration by dry weight. And while Texas hemp is regulated by the Department of Agriculture and Department of State Health Services, little to nothing has been invested by the state to educate local law enforcement agencies about changes in hemp law. This all sits in juxtaposition to a medical cannabis program (Texas Compassionate Use Program) regulated by the Department of Public Safety.

 

Clear evidence of limited knowledge of Texas hemp law by local police was fully on display during the last Denton City Council meeting addressing marijuana decriminalization measure Proposition B on June 6th. Denton Police officers and representatives from the Denton Police Officer’s Association testified against the ordinance, and time and again, could not differentiate between hemp and marijuana from a policy, industry, or cultural standpoint. The measure was subsequently not adopted by Council.

Without a statewide paradigm shift in education and training, Texas remains a Wild West arena, where a variety of hemp-derived cannabis products are legal and widely available, but could land retailers or consumers in jail. And until one of these situations turns into a high profile court case that awards damages, the confusion as to how to enforce hemp and marijuana laws in Texas will continue to linger in limbo.

 

Cited Sources:

 

1).https://finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/texas-cannabusinesses-surpass-8b-revenue-112000233.html

 

2).https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/hemp-shops-in-north-texas-and-beyond-are-getting-raided-by-police-17772122

 

 

Daryoush Austin Zamhariri is the Executive Director of the Texas Cannabis Collective, a 501c4 nonprofit dedicated to news/media, advocacy, and premier events focused on Texas cannabis policy, industry, and culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CBD Delivery ATX Serves Customers in Austin and Beyond

Written by Rachel Nelson on . Posted in CBD News & Business.

Get a Variety of Products in 2 Hours or Less

By Rachel Nelson

In March 2020, before anyone knew the pandemic would drastically change the world, three Austinites launched CBD Delivery ATX. According to co-owner Liz Pruett, timing was on their side. 


“Delivery became a more important part of everyday life,” she said. “A lot of our customers have been with us since the beginning because for whatever reason, they can’t leave the house, don’t want to leave the house or feel intimidated about going into a head shop. So I think it does kind of fill a niche market of people who want to stay closer to home.”

Pruett and the other co-owners — brothers Rob and TJ Leonard — received their first delivery order a week prior to the COVID shutdown and say the phone has not stopped ringing since. Initially, the trio said they went with a delivery business model to save money on leasing a storefront, but they hoped to eventually grow into a brick-and-mortar location. However, they soon realized that “delivery was kind of the way to go,” Pruett said. 

“In the early days of our business we kind of thought it was going to die off when the pandemic was over, but it kind of went the other way,” Rob Leonard said. “It just became more, so I guess this is what so many businesses are doing because people love the convenience of it.”

The owners of CBD Delivery Service tout their assortment of locally sourced products as well as their diverse customer mix — from war veterans to soccer moms and massage therapists.

“We have some people that order bath bombs and others that want every type of THC that we carry that’s legal,” Rob Leonard said.

Compliance is a priority at CBD Delivery Service, and every customer must show their ID upon arrival. 

“We always ensure that it doesn’t get into the wrong person’s hands,” Rob Leonard said. 

While the owners of CBD Delivery Service steer clear of making medical claims about their products, their customers have boasted many healing effects — such as relief from pain and anxiety. 

TJ Leonard said his business motivation stems from wanting to help people consume hemp legally. He grew up in Maine and later moved to California — both legal states. Now that he lives in Texas, he said he hopes the business helps keep people out of legal trouble. Additionally, CBD Delivery Service aims to be fast and discreet. 

“When you go into a head shop, it kind of feels like you’re doing something illegal, even though everything’s legal,” TJ Leonard said. “With us, it’s as discreet as you can make it. We don’t wear uniforms, our cars aren’t decorated.”

The owners all say they are pleasnatly surprised at how busy they have been since the pandemic cooled off, and their delivery area extends beyond the Austin city limits. A map of the service area can be found at cbddeliveryatx.com, and everyone who orders can expect to receive their products in two hours or less. 

Standard delivery is $10 but jumps to $20 for the extended delivery region. However, all customers who spend $100 or more receive free delivery. Additionally, every new customer receives 25% off of their order total. 

Meet JHeart CBD

Written by Stacey Lovett on . Posted in CBD.

J Heart CBD is a woman-owned CBD franchise built out of passion and service from the heart of one Austin entrepreneur.

Connie Hurley opened her first location in Cedar Park in August of 2019 after investing in the cannabis industry and discovering the growing market for CBD in Texas. She has since opened another location in January 2021 on North Lamar Blvd and continues to make natural health and wellness her business. With 30 years experience as an entrepreneur in a variety of fields, including a handful of coffee shops and wholesale distribution on the island of Guam, she made the decision to sell off those businesses to relocate stateside and ultimately invest in this other popular plant pouring her heart into helping fill other people’s cups in life through plant medicine.

Her vision for the business has been to provide products and educate consumers on the benefits of CBD and how it improves quality of life for those who suffer with chronic pain, anxiety and sleep issues. Connie takes great pride in vetting all of her 25+ vendors and offering a line of premium products to her customers. J Heart offers a wide variety of tinctures, edibles, smokables, topicals and even a pet line with choices in full spectrum, broad spectrum, isolate and delta 8.

The storefront and staff of J Heart CBD is something else she takes great pride in. With a clean, welcoming space, the business caters to introducing a wide variety of customers to CBD products and the staff is committed to taking time to explain all of the benefits and make an educated decision on the best choice possible for their needs. Employees undergo consistent training and education on all of the up to date research on hemp products so that they are dedicated to providing the utmost service to their clients and all have a passion to help change lives. Another unique feature to the store blends two of Connie’s passions – coffee and CBD. Their in-house espresso bar provides customers with a choice of CBD, or non, brews to purchase while they browse, serving as another comfort of service.

As the general public continues to gain acceptance for CBD and plant medicine, personal anecdotes of success remain the greatest avenue of change that is pushing the industry forward on a larger scale. Connie and her staff always welcome and share personal stories from their clients in their CBD journey and the story behind the name is a touching commemoration for Connie herself of her daughter, Jessica, whom she lost 8 years ago to drug overdose. The path of natural medicine she took following her loss has been in the spirit of her daughter and Connie is currently seeking out local Austin addiction centers to give back to in community involvement in her name through J Heart.

The 2 locations can be found at 908 W. Whitestone Blvd Unit 300 in Cedar Park and 6719 N. Lamar Blvd. in Austin as well as online at jheartcbd.com

You can hear our Interview with J heart CBD Here:

Green Mountain Flower Co.

Written by Stacey Lovett on . Posted in CBD, Health.

When committing to a lifestyle change, the quality of the product and service chosen is everything and exactly what Gene and Elsie Dietrich strive to provide to every client who passes through their door.

The couple own Green Mountain Flower Company – a premier CBD boutique located in North Austin off of 183 and Anderson Mill – and their mission is to curate a personalized experience to your journey into hemp-based healing. When you walk into the doors of their store you’re immediately greeted with tranquility and a welcoming smile. Their products which range from tinctures, edibles, balms, to even raw flower is thoughtfully displayed around the space and available for them to explain the benefits of the product setting you up on a plan with exactly what you need. And that is something that the couple takes time to provide to every customer, a knowledgeable non-judgmental consultation listening to your needs and goals and aligning you with the products that best suit you.

Not only have they made a commitment to their customers but to the industry overall. Following 30 years as a custom home and commercial builder he poured his retirement into growing with the licensed CBD industry as well as the research and development of their own Green Mountain line.

A tremendous amount of effort has gone into developing the Green Mountain Flower Company’s product line and the evidence shows in the resulting quality and many happy customers. Each product has a long story behind it, how each went from just an idea or concept to a finished product now regularly depended upon by many. The CBD Body Balm has such a story, developed from a concept with much trial and refinement to become the highly effective and demanded product it is today.

Customers can stand assured that they’re purchasing quality straight from the source and product ingredients that are carefully and personally chosen by the same people who are selling it. Quality is key with Green Mountain Flower products.

Their CBD Oils are a great example of these facts – the color says it all – it’s not too diluted, not too refined, not too hempy or over flavored. It stands a cut above the average product being sold in retail stores and sets a high standard for boutique blends to be understood and valued more in the mainstream spectrum of CBD. The complementary sample of their tincture proves right there in the store the time and effort put into creating the optimal recipe towards meeting what you’ re wanting to achieve with CBD, and their loyal grassroots grown customer base speaks for the rest.

The Dietrich family doesn’t plan to stop there. They will continue to expand the Green Mountain product line with many exciting additions on the way such as their new CBD Water which they have been working on for over a year. As well as actively expanding their wholesale market.

The skill, will, and desire of the Dietrichs’ dedication to the industry cannot be compared. All they have worked towards in setting the bar so high through their dedication to providing quality products and unprecedented service to new and established CBD users alike opens up a more welcoming educated market to introduce the benefits of it to the mainstream.

Change begins at a personal, local level and requires a real investment that is fueled by passion. Whether it’s helping someone learn what benefits of CBD can bring to their health and lifestyle, educating existing users on the quality of products they choose, or helping revolutionize the industry, Green Mountain Flower Company is a pivotal part of the transformation of truly holistic service.