Texas Senate advances bill to ban THC — again
The Senate’s decision signals another potential standoff with Gov. Greg Abbott, who vetoed a similar ban earlier this year as he called for more regulations instead. Full Story
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Stephen Simpson is the mental health reporter, based in Austin, where he covers behavioral health in schools, treatment in the judicial system, substance abuse and the state mental health system, among other topics. He previously worked in his home state of Arkansas as a politics reporter, where he covered the state's Supreme Court, House of Representatives and correctional system for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Stephen's earliest career experiences include reporting and copy editing at The Jonesboro Sun and The Pine Bluff Commercial. He earned a degree in online and print journalism with a minor in filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas.
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![Employees trim leaves off a hemp flower at Caprock Family Farms, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Lubbock. The farm harvests the hemp and then manufactures the product to businesses, if requested.]()
Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulations
Senate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC. Full Story
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![Texas Sen. Charles Perry R-Lubbock speaks during a public hearing at the Senate Chambers on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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THC-related poison control calls tripled in Texas after hemp became legal. Experts say there’s more to the story.
Experts say poison control data don’t specify which calls are related to hemp versus more dangerous K2, but show that most THC poisonings cause minor side effects. Full Story
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![A container of dried hemp plant with leaves and stems on Jan. 23, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Judge sets Robert Roberson’s execution date for Oct. 16
Roberson’s attorneys have asked the state’s Court of Criminal Appeals to pause his execution until the court has considered his case. Full Story
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![Shackled and chained, Robert Roberson is led away from his lawyers by an Anderson Co. Sheriff’s Office deputy Wednesday morning after a new execution date of Oct. 16, 2025 was set by presiding Judge Austin Jackson of Smith County at the Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for The Texas Tribune -
Mental health programs could bear the brunt of $600M federal cuts to Texas schools
Federal cuts and a lack of dedicated mental health funding from the state could erode programs to address chronic absenteeism, crises and more. Full Story
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![Louise ISD social/emotional counselor April Cubriel teaches students about different ways to be courageous as she visits a 2nd grade classroom at Louise Elementary School Monday, March 10, 2025.]()
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Texas medical marijuana industry to push for hemp age restrictions and delta-8 ban
Medical program leaders want a ban on synthetic delta-8 THC, which makes up the bulk of consumable hemp products. Full Story
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![Texas Original Director of Cultivation Jason Sanders gives a tour of the business’ facility on Sept. 26, 2024. Texas Original is Texas’ first licensed medical cannabis distributor.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas to create its own psychology licensing test amid pushback on national exam
Texas and other states have criticized a decision by the national psychologist licensing board to add another expensive test in order for psychologists to become certified. Full Story
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![Chair John Bielamowicz speaks during a a Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists meeting Thursday, April 11, 2024 in Austin. During the meeting, the state board met with the Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards to discuss the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
With prospects of a THC ban eroded, Texas hemp industry supports age restrictions, more regulation enforcement
Hemp industry leaders say they agree with regulations similar to how the state regulates alcohol. Full Story
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![The Texas Original cannabis farm on Sept. 26, 2024. The red light is an experimental form of growth where the light bleaches the flower of the plant.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas is illegally keeping people with disabilities in nursing homes, federal judge rules
A federal judge determined the state illegally institutionalized severely disabled people for decades, often in poorly run facilities. Full Story
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![An employee of the Amistad Nursing and Rehabilitation Center walks with a resident on April 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton requests death row inmate Robert Roberson be executed Oct. 16
A court hearing on Wednesday will determine whether to proceed with Paxton’s request. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Dec. 19, 2023. Texas death row prisoners are housed in Livingston but executed at the state prison in Huntsville, about 43 miles away.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project