There are so many people I know who have used [hemp-derived THC] To quit smoking, alcohol or other pills”
Stephen Simpson is the Texas Tribune
Some residents of Texas’s rural towns claim that, if you look closely enough, it is easy to see how hemp-derived THC became so popular in the region.
The scars of Texas’ isolated communities are evident in faded crosses along the roadsides, faces of teens who were once promising and “Don’t Drink and Drive” billboards and the impact of fentanyl.
Many cannabis users say that it saved them from a spiral into alcoholism or drug addiction.
Timothy Mabry is a proponent of hemp from Canyon Lake. “I worked in the fire department for over 10 years, and alcohol was responsible for more deaths and accidents than any other substance,” he said. “Also the difference between someone violently drunk and someone happily high is drastic.” Many of us have experienced it ourselves.
The ban of THC that lawmakers are considering would have a devastating effect on rural Texas, say hemp supporters.
The lack of access to the Texas Compassionate Use Program, the state’s tightly regulated medical marijuana program, and other traditional forms of medical care in those communities has steered users—even those who qualify for prescription drugs—toward consumable hemp products. Rural areas have some of the oldest and sickest populations in Texas. Many of them are seeking relief for mental illnesses or chronic pain, and cannabis is a good antidote.
In rural areas, addiction to alcohol and opioids is on the rise. Many have relied on hemp products as a way to reduce their intake. Small-town farmers and retailers want to help meet this demand in order to improve their downtown economy.
My family is from Belleville, in Austin County. It’s a large farm community of maybe 4,000 residents. The little town of Belleville has about 30 shopfronts. Of those, three are hemp CBD stores. Andy “Doc”, a Navy Veteran and founder of Warriors Integrating Possibilities – a group that aims to end veteran suicides and the opioid crisis, particularly in rural Texas – said, It is a major part of the local economy.
This week, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, which would criminalize products containing any “detectable amount of any cannabinoid” other than cannabidiol and cannabigerol, better known as CBD and CBG, non-intoxicating components of cannabis. The majority of hemp-based products would be banned under this bill, even those legal according to federal standards.
Hemp opponents cite various reasons to ban hemp, including the fact that it is an unregulated industry, that its products are marketed towards children and the health risks of long-term cannabis consumption.
The Republican legislators who supported a blanket ban on the sale of tobacco products have faced a strong backlash, including from rural Texans ranging from farmers and veterans, to older people.
Medical marijuana: Access to limited amounts
Texas is home to one of the most rurally-diverse populations of any state, with approximately 5 million out of 31 million residents living in rural regions. The health outcomes of Texans who live in these regions are significantly worse than their urban peers, partly due to the lack of physical and mental care access.
Inability to get help is what has led some to look for relief in other places.
My parents hated cannabis and sent me into rehab at 15 years old for it. Melder says that they now use cannabis to relieve their pain.
Some legislators have said that Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) is best for marijuana users who are suffering from chronic pain and mental illness. But those living in rural areas of Texas have no access to dispensaries and, if they can, their products are limited and expensive.
Ramona, a Navy vet who owns a 10-acre Midway farm said that they had no additional options.
Two medical marijuana dispensaries are located in Central Texas and one has been shut down, say lawmakers. The high overhead costs of these dispensaries are due to state law requiring them to return products sold in other areas of Texas to designated storage sites every day. This has led to expensive medical marijuana.
Hemp supporters claim that a $15 bag of THC-derived hemp gummies bought online is more efficient than a $75 bag containing medical marijuana gummies.
Most rural Texans don’t carry insurance that will cover the cost of the medical visits needed to enroll in the program. Medical marijuana is also not covered by most health plans. Mabry says that costs for participation start to mount.
The only doctors that can perform this procedure are a few, so it is necessary to travel. And, whenever something comes into contact with a physician’s hands, the cost increases.
The legislation passed in the first half of this year increased the program for medical marijuana by expanding the number of satellites and dispensaries, offering users more products and lifting the storage restrictions. Medical marijuana producers say the law will help drop prices and increase accessibility but that it could take a few years to happen, including in rural Texas.
Some families worry that even if the dispensaries grow, they will not be able to meet all their needs.
When Piper Lindeen’s son Zach became the second child to be accepted into the state’s medical marijuana program, she felt pride. Her husband and she fought for many years to get access to the medical cannabis that would help their son with his severe seizures.
They thought so, at least.
Although the Lindeens remain in the program to support it, Zach doesn’t use medical marijuana because some of the chemicals removed from it under state regulations are needed to stop their son’s seizures. The Lindeens order hemp-based products, which may become illegal in the event that lawmakers pass a law banning it.
Sugar Land resident, who is a medical marijuana patient said: “We tried everything to try and control him seizures. But there was no success.”
Fighting alcohol and opioid abuse
The Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth group, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council of Deep East Texas (ADAC), Andrea’s Project Amarillo and the Sheriffs Association of Texas sent a joint letter in June to Governor Abbott. Greg Abbott, a Republican candidate for governor, was asked to ban THC out of concern over children’s safety and increased risk to impaired driving.
Perry has stated that cannabis may be responsible for veteran’s suicide, but not prevent it. Perry also questions the benefits of long-term marijuana use, as he believes studies show this to cause dementia.
Some rural legislators, like Perry, are concerned that THC can cause havoc to the communities they represent because of all the risks involved and the limited resources available in rural areas.
Although research has not shown what the effects can be of THC usage in a rural community on a long-term basis, users have expressed their desire for saner environments that are free from dangerous addictions including alcoholism and drug abuse.
There are so many people I know who have used [hemp-derived THC] to get off tobacco, alcohol, or other pills… and I think that is one of the biggest things it could be used for,” Harding said.
The federal government has designated all 177 counties of rural Texas as Health Professional Shortage Areas for Mental Health. This means that there are few addiction treatment centers in these areas.
A 2022 study by UT Health San Antonio’s substance use disorder response program, Be Well Texas, found that more opioid prescriptions are dispensed to rural Texas residents per capita than to urban residents, contributing to increasing overdose rates and illegal drug markets.
Harding relies on cannabis to function every day. She has suffered from physical and psychological scarring as a result of a rape that she experienced while serving. When cannabis is removed, Harding said she has no other option but to use the alcohol or pills that slowly kill her liver.
“I have run into so many people and lawmakers who are like, ‘Well, go have some whiskey’. No. My family was killed, and I almost died. “Alcohol isn’t for everyone in Texas,” said she.
What are the economic costs associated with a ban?
While there isn’t specific data on how many THC shops have opened in the rural parts of the state, a 2025 report by Whitney Economics, which studies data and does economic reports on global hemp and cannabis industries, found the number of physical locations had increased from 5,072 in 2022 to 7,550 in 2024 and was steadily growing all around Texas.
Hemp licenses, both for manufacturers and retailers, have been steadily increasing since 2022. The latter are located mostly in rural areas. More than 53,000 people are estimated to be employed by the $5.5 billion hemp industry, who receive $2.1 billion as wages.
Rural Texas farmers told The Texas Tribune earlier this year that banning THC would mean they would have to stop growing hemp altogether, even if it’s not going to be consumed, because there’s no way to have or manufacture this plant with no detectable THC in it.
Whitney Economics estimates that a total THC ban will shift $10,2 billion of economic activity outside the state and disrupt the supply chain for hemp throughout the United States.
What’s worse, if it passes, this will send thousands upon thousands of workers, farmers, retailers and other people in the area and across the entire state into bankruptcy, for no reason at all? Mabry stated that the ban was not for any reason.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/01/texas-rural-thc-hemp-cannabis-marijuana/.
The Texas Tribune’s nonpartisan, member-supported media outlet informs and engages Texans in state politics. Visit texastribune.org to learn more.
Brendan Cleak provided the photo.