How we work
Sources and methodology
The short version: we read the primary documents, we link them, and when we are not sure, we leave it out.
How we check facts
- Primary sources first. Bill text, statutes, court orders, agency rules and official notices. If a claim is about what a law says, we link the law.
- News is for leads, not for law. We read local and statewide reporting to learn what is happening, then confirm it against the official record before it goes in the tracker. When a point about local practice is only available through reporting (for example, what an agency said about its policies), we say so in the text rather than present it as official.
- No guessing. If we cannot confirm a bill number, date, penalty or amount, it does not go on the site. Where something is genuinely unsettled, like pending litigation or a federal question no agency has answered, we say it is unsettled.
- Status labels are specific. "In effect" means it is the law today. "Signed" means enacted or issued but some or all of it may not be in force yet. "Pending" and "In court" mean it can still change.
- Hemp as law only. We cover hemp-derived THC strictly as legal and regulatory news. We never review or recommend products.
The official sources we rely on
- Texas Legislature Online: bill text, history, analyses and votes.
- Texas Statutes, including the Health and Safety Code, Penal Code, Occupations Code and the Texas Constitution.
- Texas Legislative Council: legislative calendar dates.
- Texas Department of Public Safety, Compassionate Use Program: licensing, registry and program updates.
- Texas Department of State Health Services, Consumable Hemp Program and the Texas Register for adopted rules and schedule notices.
- Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission: hemp rules for TABC licensees.
- Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas courts case search, for opinions, orders and dockets.
- Office of the Governor: vetoes, proclamations and executive orders.
- Harris County District Attorney's Office: the marijuana diversion program.
- City of Houston: charter election materials and executive orders.
- Federal Register, Congress.gov and Congressional Research Service reports for federal law.
- Texas State Law Library cannabis guide: a good plain-language starting point maintained by the state.
How often we review
We review the whole tracker at least once a month, and more often when something is moving: while the Legislature is in sesh, around elections like Houston's November 3, 2026 vote, and when a court case or rulemaking has a known date. The "Last reviewed" date at the top of each page is the date of the most recent full review. Individual entries carry the date of the event, not the date we wrote them.
Correction policy
If we get something wrong, we fix it and we say so. Substantive corrections (a wrong date, status, penalty or description of what a law does) are noted in the affected tracker entry's explanation, with the date of the correction. We do not quietly rewrite history. Typos and broken links are fixed without a note.
We spot errors by re-checking every entry against its sources during each review. If a source link breaks because an agency moves a page, we replace it with the new official location.
What we do not do
- We do not tell anyone where to buy or use cannabis, and we do not link to sellers.
- We do not endorse candidates, parties or ballot measures, and we do not run "contact your legislator" campaigns.
- We do not take money from anyone with a stake in cannabis or hemp policy.
- We do not give legal advice.