A coastal Texas smoke-shop owner facing criminal marijuana charges after a police raid Tuesday says the cannabis flower, vapes, gummies and other products taken were legal hemp, not illegal marijuana.
Faded Smoke Shop owner Alexandra Degollado faces charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, the Victoria Advocate reported.
One of her store employees was also charged during the Tuesday raid in Port Lavaca, a town of about 12,000 on the Texas coast southwest of Houston.
Degollado’s attorney, Lisa Pittman, told newspaper that the store owner relied on legal certificates of analysis that showed the products were made legally.
Texas allows the production and sale of hemp, but not high-THC cannabis. The shop had a current license to sell edible CBD products, a requirement under Texas law, the newspaper reported.
Local police have said the seized products contained elevated THC levels.
“People have to understand that, right now, (marijuana) is still illegal. I realize it might be legalized in a few years, but it is still illegal here,” Port Lavaca Police Chief Colin Rangnow told the paper.