Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick eyeing ban on Delta-8 and Delta-9 products

Texas is still a year away from its next state legislative session, but we are already getting a picture of lawmakers' priorities.

ABC13's news partners at the Houston Chronicle looked at Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's to-do list. It includes banning Delta-8 and Delta-9, which are cannabis-derived products currently legal in the state because of their low THC content.

Patrick also wants to consider bills that would stop retailers from marketing these products to children.

Delta 8 took off after the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production federally. Since then, Delta-9 products also emerged in low-THC edible forms.

RELATED: 'I want it to be legalized': Marijuana industry getting creative as Texas laws continue to change

The cannabis industry has changed in Texas and new laws have allowed those in the industry to get creative.

According to the Chronicle, more than 7,000 businesses are licensed to sell hemp products.

Roughly 1,000 of these are in the Harris County area, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Patrick's other legislative goals include securing the Texas-Mexico border, examining the development and use of artificial intelligence, and monitoring the ongoing DEI ban at public universities.

The next legislative session begins at the beginning of next year.

SEE ALSO: Ken Paxton sues five Texas cities to block ordinances decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession

This August 2021 report, looks at the expansion Texas's expanded medical marijuana program to include cancer patients and those with PTSD.