Since hemp was legalized 8 months ago in Texas, marijuana prosecutions have gone down by half, according to a report in the Texas Tribune.

Texas prosecutors say these are huge numbers considering hemp isn't truly marijuana that can be smoked. Experts report that some law enforcement agencies are paying a significant amount of tax dollars to private labs to ensure that substances they suspect to be marijuana aren't hemp.

However, the Texas Department of Public Safety who frequently uses local government crime labs says they are coming up with better tests that will be more cost-effective. The tests will better determine the differences between the two.

But that's only for seized plant material. This doesn't include vape pen liquid or edible products that contain marijuana or hemp.

“If law enforcement agencies and prosecutors asked for all of those to be tested when these new procedures become available … DPS would start with such a huge backlog that it would likely never get caught up,” Shannon Edmonds, director of governmental relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, told the Tribune.

“One decision for prosecutors and law enforcement agencies and the labs is: how do they triage these cases to focus on the most important ones."