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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Temple, Belton police eye vape shops for hemp compliance
Bell County, Tx (FOX44) – The Temple Police and Belton Police departments have executed evidentiary search warrants for multiple vape and smoke shop locations. The Temple Police Department Special Investigations Unit opened an investigation into numerous vape and smoke shops in the Temple and Belton area starting in January of 2025. This investigation stemmed from information provided by citizens of the community and fellow officers who expressed concern about the type of inventory being sold. The investigation became widespread, including assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Waco Police Department, Killeen Police Department, Bell County Sheriff's Office, and Belton Police Department, working in conjunction with the Temple Police Department to purchase and test items from these stores. During this investigation, it became apparent that some products in these stores were mislabeled and incorrectly claimed to be in compliance with the 2018 Hemp Farm Bill. The Temple Police Department purchased numerous items that claimed to be in compliance and tested them at the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab and the NMS Laboratory, which is an approved lab by the Department of Public Safety, and the Belton Police Department used Armstrong Laboratories to test their items. These lab results confirmed that some of the products displayed in these stores are mislabeled and not actually in compliance. The results from every shop tested showed that the product referred to as 'flower' and the 'flower' pre-rolls were not in compliance with the 2018 Hemp Farm Bill as labeled, and tested positive for marijuana over the allowed 0.3%. Additionally, multiple shops that claimed to be selling THC-A products produced a lab result of Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol. At around 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 13, the Temple Police Department and the Belton Police Department conducted multiple evidentiary search warrants at the 100 block of S 25th Street, the 400 block of N 3rd Street, the 4300 block of S 31st Street, the 6500 block of W Adams Avenue, the 5700 block of W Adams Avenue the 2800 block of W Adams Avenue, and in Belton at the 2600 block of N Main Street. Section 297A of the H.R. 5485 2018 Farm Bill states, 'The term 'hemp' means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis,' As a public service police said many locations in the area have been identified to be falsely advertising their products by stating they contain the legal amount of THC. Certified letters will be sent to these locations informing the owners that their products have been tested by DPS Crime Lab and the NMS laboratories and are confirmed to contain illegal amounts of THC. The Temple Police Department Units that were involved in these warrants include the Special Investigations Unit, Criminal Investigations Division, Crime Scene Investigators, Patrol, Training, and the SWAT Team. The total personnel for this operation were approximately 65 total officers. This case is under investigation, and police said no other information will be released at this time. Anyone with information should contact the Temple Police Department at 254-298-5500 or the Bell County Crime Stoppers at 254-526-8477, where callers can report anonymously. Tips can also be submitted anonymously Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sutter County hemp industry organizes to save 2025 season
Sutter County's nascent industrial hemp industry organized a full court press and won approval from the Sutter County Board of Supervisors for at least one more growing season. Over the objection of Sutter County Agricultural Commissioner Lisa Herbert, and opposition from the Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau, supervisors Tuesday voted 5-0 to amend an emergency ordinance to restore the ability of farmers to grow industrial hemp in 2025, adding some tighter controls and increased fees to pay for county staff time to regulate it. The ordinance would reverse a decision by the board in December to ban grows in 2025. About 100 people attended Tuesday afternoon's special meeting, where industrial hemp growers were joined by workers, vendors, and customers of what one man who identified himself as an exporter of CBD isolate, a legal hemp by-product, is a growing international mark et. Nick Supala told supervisors that he purchases hemp from a local grower, C&C Farming, and sells the non-psychoactive CBD product in Japan. Sapollo said the market for hemp products in Japan alone is expected to grow from $750 million by 2030, and the worldwide market is expected to grow to more than $8 billion to $11 billion by 2030, about the same size as the walnut market, he said. Megan Matteola of the Matteola Brothers farming operation in the Sutter Basin, said that her family has grown a wide variety crops in Sutter County since 1934 and 'to us, hemp is just one more crop that allows us to meet our goals.' Owners, employees, and business associates of C&C Farms showed up in force for what has been the largest gathering of interests on the topic since the 2018 Farm Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump removed hemp from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. The change opened the door to the cultivation of industrial hemp in the United States. According to the Sutter County Agricultural Commissioner's website, 'industrial hemp' or 'hemp' means an agricultural product, whether growing or not, that is limited to types of the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds of the plant and all derivatives, extracts, the resin extracted from any part of the plant, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, with a total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration (THC) of no more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Under an ordinance adopted in 2021, hemp growers are required to get a license from the county, which under the law is required to inspect hemp crops to ensure the plants remain below the 0.3 percent THC level. If a tested plant exceeds that amount, an entire crop can be ordered destroyed by the county. Ag Commissioner Herbert said her staff has been subjected to 'intimidation and safety risks' during field inspections, and in a letter to the board which she read in person reiterated her opposition to the growing of industrial hemp in Sutter County. 'Industrial hemp has consistently presented itself as a public nuisance, posing tangible risks to health, safety, and the broader well-being of our community,' Herbert said. 'I urge you to weigh the perspectives of all stakeholders and to prioritize long-term policy stability over short-term political pressures.' Herbert said she was the subject of a 'direct death threat made against me,' and there have been attempts at bribery, 'including an incident where a grower tried to place cash into the assistant agricultural commissioner's pocket during an inspection.' She lamented 'countless hours and public resources consumed by nuisance complaints and enforcement actions related to hemp operations.' Herbert noted that a lot of time and effort went into drafting the proposed amended ordinance, but added, 'every industrial hemp grower in Sutter County violated the 2021 ordinance. What assurance does this board have that the same will not occur again?' The Board of Supervisors in its motion agreed to add a recommendation Herbert made if the ordinance is to proceed: to require a full public report be prepared at the end of the year about hemp production in 2025. Sutter County Sheriff Brandon Barnes, who indicated the instances Herbert discussed in her letter are under investigation, said the problems associated with the crop are not because of hemp, but because of marijuana. The cannabis plant with little or no THC that produces hemp looks and can smell like the same plant as high value marijuana plants and 'bad actors' are using the cover of a legal hemp grow to instead grow a marijuana crop, he said. Recently, at a warehouse in Butte County containing marijuana plants, officials discovered a license for hemp issued by Sutter County, Barnes noted. Barnes requested additional resources if the sheriff's department is expected to send deputies to inspections of hemp farms. A letter from the Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau said, 'we still believe industrial hemp is not a viable crop for our region.' The letter sided with Herbert and her concerns about staff safety and resources and encouraged the board to keep the moratorium in place. As an indication of how the issue is dividing the farming community, a pair of former Fifth District supervisors with long track records of supporting agriculture are on opposite sides of the matter. Former Supervisor Mat Conant told the board it should listen to the experts, referring to the agricultural commissioner and the local farm bureau. Former Supervisor Barbara LeVake submitted a letter in support of allowing industrial hemp for its economic benefits to the county. Several residents complained about the smell from hemp farming operations and encouraged the board to keep the moratorium on grows in place throughout the county. But a succession of growers, their family members, workers, and vendors spoke about the economic benefits of the crop and their right to earn a living. Tyler Tamagni of C&C Farms said it is important to distinguish their operation from 'problem' growers. 'We've been unfairly grouped in with the bad actors accused of bribery, threats, and criminal behavior,' Tamagni said. 'We have obviously nothing to do with any of it. We are law abiding, community-oriented farmers and we deserve to be treated with the same respect and fairness as any other grower in Sutter County.' The amended ordinance restores the ability to grow hemp through the end of this year. It increases the minimum setback, or 'buffer' zone tom 1,000 feet to 2.5 miles from any incorporated city limit, the boundaries of the Sutter Pointe Specific Plan, and any hospital, 24-hour convalescent care facility, senior living facility (excluding small care homes), place of worship, child day care center, private and public k-12 school, youth-oriented facility, after school program, park, or sports complex. The minimum setback from a single residential home is a quarter mile. In addition, the amended ordinance now requires that plants be cultivated in the open air and in the ground, banning moveable pots and enclosures such as greenhouses or 'hoop houses'. At the request of Herbert, supervisors added language to require a comprehensive written report at the end of the year, and to address the concerns by the sheriff, supervisors increased proposed fees for a license from $7,500 to $15,000. — Editor's note: A copy of the Farm Bureau's letter and a copy of a report on the economic impact of hemp by the Yuba Sutter Economic Development Corporation can be found on page A6 of today's edition.
