Texas marijuana

The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued provisional licenses to nine new medical marijuana operators while existing ones have started opening new manufacturing and cultivating facilities.

Justices will have to decide who has the final say on whether delta-8 THC is legal: the Texas Legislature or the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Hemp advocates say raising annual licensing fees for retailers from $150 to $20,000 and for manufacturers from $250 to $25,000 would shutter small businesses.

Texas' highest civil court is set to hear and rule on cases dealing with several hot-button issues, including hemp, gender-affirming care and the state's ban on abortions after detection of cardiac activity.

The Department of State Health Services is considering new rules for the Texas hemp industry that would require child-resistant packaging, stronger warning labels, sharply higher fees and effectively ban smokeable flower and extracts.

The age limit is expected to go into effect Tuesday after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved the rule. Enforcement won't begin until Oct. 1.

Texas' governor issued an executive order Wednesday mandating age restrictions on consumable hemp products containing THC. This comes after Abbott's veto earlier this year of legislation that would have banned the products outright.

The executive order comes after the Legislature ended a special session without the House, Senate and governor agreeing on restrictions.

Texas lawmakers ended their second special session without regulating or banning hemp.

Here's what we're watching this week at the Legislature.