Fresh Air

Ample outdoor time is in your fitness future this April in Dallas-Fort Worth

Get your running buddy ready for the Hungry Hound Hustle.

Photo courtesy of Don't Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Bank

Let's enjoy this temperate spring weather while we have it! This month's round-up includes lots of yoga and 5K runs, giving exercisers of all kinds a dose of fresh air.

Black Swan Yoga at AT&T Performing Arts Center, Tuesday evenings in April
Join Black Swan Yoga in Sammons Park for a free all-levels yoga class meant to kick your booty and make you sweat. This invigorating, uplifting class encourages personal growth and good vibes. Bring your mat, towel and plenty of water.

Panther City Half-Marathon & 5K, April 14
Start at the Trinity Trails Zero Mile marker and then race along the Clear Fork Trinity River, picking up your finisher's medal once you've made it to the end. Awards are up for grabs for the top three in each age group, if that sort of thing is important to you.

Teal & Tutus 5K, April 14
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this run aims to lower the rate of sexual assault through awareness and education and promote community engagement in DFW. Held at Mike Lewis Park in Grand Prairie, the race benefits Speak Our Truth, a nonprofit for sexual assault survivors and local organizations doing the work to support survivors.

Silent Disco at Klyde Warren Park, April 19
If you’ve never been to a silent disco before, this is the perfect chance to tune in and groove out from 8-11pm. The headphones have three different stations, each playing different music from DJ Richy, and the first 100 tickets include a Mambo Taxi from Mi Cocina.

Skyline Half-Marathon, 10K & 5K, April 20
Runners will be challenged with courses that take them over bridges and through West Dallas neighborhoods. After you conquer the race, join the after-party with a view, beer, awards, and a DJ, all in the Trinity Groves area.

Goat Yoga at Addison Circle Park, April 20
Bring your mat and a playful spirit to this outdoor class, where goats graze and jump around (or on) you. Bottled water, sunscreen, and bug spray are provided by the Addison Athletic Club, and there is time following the class to socialize and take pictures with the goats.

Black Swan Yoga Earth Day Flow, April 21
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by flowing and growing? Join others at the Bishop Arts studio at 3 pm for a grounding yoga sequence designed to connect you to Mother Nature. All yogis will be given a plant of their own to take home and care for following this donation-based class.

Hungry Hound Hustle, April 27
This dog-friendly 5K and 1K run benefits the Don't Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Bank, and your pups can also show their support by wearing race-branded bandanas. Mutt's Canine Cantina Fort Worth is the home base, and will open early to serve food and drinks for runners and their supporters. Bonus: Bring a bag of dog food to Bear Creek Running Co in Keller, show your receipt, and get the amount you paid plus $10 off a regularly priced pair of new running shoes (valid through April 26).

health fitness nature promoted

Legislative news

Texas governor intercedes with last-minute save on sales of THC

The THC limit in medical cannabis products is also increasing.

Photo courtesy of TOCC

The Texas cannabis industry is safe.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill Sunday to ban all THC consumables, allowing the booming market flush with THC-infused vapes, gummies and other products to continue to be sold across the state.

Abbott, a Republican, waited until the final moment to veto the bill in what would have been one of the most restrictive THC bans in the country and a significant blow to the state’s billion-dollar industry.

The law would have made it a misdemeanor to own, manufacture, or sell consumable THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, products and was the latest push by states to regulate THC after a 2018 federal law allowed states to regulate hemp, a similar plant to marijuana that can be synthetically processed to produce THC, the compound giving marijuana its psychoactive properties.

Loopholes in existing law have allowed many THC-infused goods to enter the market across the country, including states with strict marijuana laws.

Texas has some of the strictest marijuana laws in the country, prohibiting all recreational use and providing a limited medical marijuana program. The consumables market has allowed residents to legally access goods giving a similar high to marijuana.

Republican lawmakers have criticized the products as dangerous due to a lack of federal oversight in how the goods are manufactured. Texas’ ban is one of the more far-reaching among states that have taken similar steps. Several states, including California, have imposed age limits and restrictions on the potency of THC products.

Critics of the Texas bill say it allows people who cannot access marijuana through the state’s medical marijuana program to acquire goods that can provide a similar relief. Many retailers across the state also pointed to the thousands of jobs and millions in revenue the industry brings each year.

Last year, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have put age restrictions on THC consumables, claiming it would hurt small businesses.

cannabis politics