The Woodlands Edition - November 2019

CHANGES FROM THE LEGISLATURE The 86th Texas Legislature passed two laws surrounding cannabis in June that have contributed to the proliferation of CBD shops in southMontgomery County.

CBD STORES SPROUTING UP Several stores have opened or added CBD to their offerings in southMontgomery County this year. Here is a noncomprehensivemap of some of the area shops.

Opened 2019

HOUSE BILL 3703 - SIGNED JUNE 14

Smoker’s Corner

HOW THE LEGISLATURE VOTED ON HB 1325

Arolistic Naturals

Expands prescription of low-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, cannabis for patients with epilepsy to also include patients with cancer, autism and multiple sclerosis

140 yes

3 no

1488

CBDAmerican Shaman

Opened 2019

HOUSE BILL 1325 - SIGNED JUNE 10

2 abstained

5 absent

242

Legalizes the production and regulation of hemp with a THC concentration less than 0.3%

SOURCE:TEXASSTATELEGISLATURE/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER

Texas Naturals CBD Added CBD in 2019

GOVERNMENT

EVO3 CBD

County takes hard line with recent state cannabis laws, requires THC lab testing

Opened 2013

ROBINSON RD.

Opened 2016

Coming soon

understood, he said. Didier said customers buy CBD to deal with several issues such as sleep problems, anxiety and general pain. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to set up regu- lations on the standards and practices surrounding CBD. Walter Ybarbo said he began selling CBD in his store Texas Naturals on Ashlane Way when it became legal. “Everything has got to be done correctly,” he said. Ybarbo said he has lab results show- ing his products meet the legal require- ments. The products have helped his business grow this year, he said. “The feedback we’re getting from customers is phenomenal ... we’ve had a lot of positive response,” he said. Katharine Neil Harris, a research fellow in drug policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said there is no way to test whether CBD products come from hemp or marijuana. “So essentially those products can be bought and sold legally and with- out repercussions,” she said. Montgomery County District Attor- ney Brett Ligon said he believes peo- ple should be wary of the CBD trend as there is little research or regulation. “Right now, it’s kind of like the wild, wild west when it comes to CBD oil. It’s not regulated. It’s oen times not tested. You don’t know where it’s being produced from,” Ligon said. PATH TO LEGISLATION Gov. Greg Abbott signed two bills into law from the th Texas Legisla- ture in June that pertain to medical marijuana and hemp. House Bill allows physicians to prescribe med- ical marijuana for illnesses such as

BY ANDY LI Recent laws passed this year by the state Legislature helped the cannabidiol, or CBD, market to quickly expand in south Montgomery County, with at least ve CBD stores opening or announcing an opening this year as well as several existing stores adding CBD to their oerings. However, Montgomery County ocials said they plan to continue prosecuting marijuana-related cases, which could aect some CBD consumers. Local business owner Tammy Didier said she sells CBD products at her store Arolistic Naturals, which opened on FM on May . “We want to educate the community here on CBD and the benets of it and the eects of it,” Didier said. Even though stores such as Didier’s are educating the public on possible benets of CBD, there is confusion over what CBD actually is and what is legal in Montgomery County. WHAT IS CBD? Marijuana and hemp are two dierent plants under the same cannabis family, Didier said. The CBD customers buy from her shop is from the hemp plant, which is high in CBD and low in tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC. Dr. Michel Watkins, a pediatric neurologist at UT Health and Memo- rial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, said both CBD and THC interact with cannabinoid receptors that are located throughout the body via the endo- cannabinoid system—a physiological, regulatory system inside the body that is said to promote stability. But the sci- ence behind this system is still poorly

Green Light Smoke Shop

Natural Ways CBD andMore

SAWDUST RD.

Spring Vapor

Ojas CBD

Added CBD in 2019

Opened 2018

99 TOLL

Opened 2019

CBDAmerican Shaman

UNDERSTANDING THE ACRONYMS CBD (Cannabidiol) Cannabidiol is derived from the cannabis plant and may offer health benefits.

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) Tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychoactive element in the cannabis plant.

CAN CBD USERS BE ARRESTED? If a person is found in possession of any product that officers believe to havemore than 0.3%THC, an individual can be arrested and products may be tested, saidMontgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon and Sgt. Jeff Smith of the Conroe Police Department. If CBDwith a percentage of THC is regularly used, it can show up positive on a drug test.

SOURCES:DISAGLOBALSOLUTIONS,TEXASDEPARTMENTOFAGRICULTURE/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER

they would limit howmany newmari- juana cases they would prosecute due to a lack of testing equipment. How- ever, Ligon said marijuana is still illegal and his oce has to uphold the law. On July , a fund was established by the Montgomery County Commission- ers Court to hire labs to determine the THC percentage. Ligon said it is his duty to interpret the law to protect the residents of Montgomery County, even through dicult laws such as HB . “The role of the DA is ... to make a decision based on what the commu- nity standards are and what the law is,” Ligon said. VANESSA HOLT AND KARAMCINTYRE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.

terminal cancer and autism, not just severe epilepsy, as the law previously said. House Bill legalized the pro- duction of hemp with a THC concen- tration of less than .%. State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, said in an email HB presents a unique opportunity for Texan farm- ers and hemp is a viable agricultural commodity for west Texas. Ligon spoke to the Montgomery County Commissioners Court about HB on July . Ligon said the prob- lem is most police departments do not have the necessary equipment to test for the presence of THC. Following the bill’s passage, several district attorneys, including Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, said

The Woodlands edition • November 2019