Texas Senate passed a bill which cannabis activists and stakeholders believe would effectively eliminate the state’s industrial hemp. The bill prohibits the sale of any products made from the plant containing THC.
A new survey shows that the public is in favor of keeping hemp-based products for consumption legal and strictly regulated.
The Lt. Dan Patrick (R)—who held a press conference criticizing the hemp market on Wednesday after visiting stores that sell cannabinoid products—the hemp ban legislation from Sen. Charles Perry (R) passed the full chamber in a 24-7 vote.
According to the bill, CBD and CBG could only be sold in non-intoxicating products. This is despite the fact that hemp with up 0.3 percent of THC dry weight had been legalized on the federal level as recently as 2018. Some supporters say that criminalizing any cannabis that contains THC would close a loophole created by the hemp law of the state that has allowed the proliferation of intoxicating businesses.
Perry stated on the Senate Floor that there is not enough money that can be collected to deal with behavioral issues and addictions. It would cost billions. “It’s impossible to enforce because every day, a new drug is released at the whims of a pharmacist.”
He said: “What they created is similar to K2, Spice, and bath salts from the past which we as legislators voted out as quickly as possible.” “The effect of what this drug is doing to the people that are involved in it—contrary to what you hear—is devastating lives. It’s generational. The psychosis is being created. “It’s causing paranoia.
The Senate approved a set of amendments on the floor from Monday’s sponsor, one which would have required all consumable products containing hemp to be tested by federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-certified labs based on Texas.
The adoption of another Perry Amendment mandated that hemp products consumed by consumers be registered in the Department of State Health Services of Washington (DSHS). The registration fee for each product would be $500, and it could not have any mood-altering additives or ingredients that are not cannabinoids. Unregistered products would be considered a class B misdemeanor.
A new amendment was also approved, making it illegal to conduct a retail or hemp-manufacturing business without the proper licenses or permits.
A Democratic senator’s amendment that was to make CBD and CBG products consumable only, but keep the other regulatory provisions intact in the Bill, was rejected by the Senators.
As amended by a Senate Committee, DSHS will also have to update its testing standards in order to make sure that hemp products are not contaminated with THC. This includes natural delta-9 THC as well as synthetic cannabinoids like delta-8 THC.
Hemp businesses will also be required to submit written authorization to Texas regulators, law enforcement and to carry out compliance inspections.
This bill also adds nearly a dozen new criminal offences to the state’s statutes for activities that are not compliant, such as marketing hemp in a manner that is appealing to children, possessing hemp with cannabinoids that do not include CBD or CBG, and providing intoxicating cannabis.
Let me be clear. We discuss many topics between the Senate and House. Sometimes you will have differences of policy. It is up to you to resolve these differences. The lieutenant-governor, who is also the presiding officer in the Senate, stated that this was not one of these bills before the vote. The bill is to prohibit THC, and close all the stores.
Patrick said this after making “surprise” visits to various hemp businesses. He described it as his most recent “on-the street investigation report.”
Happy Cactus of Austin said that in a Wednesday press release that this official’s trip was just to show that Texas hemp producers are following regulations and actively preventing youth access. Patrick had to show his ID at the entrance, and was informed there were no THC-rich products in violation of state law.
Happy Cactus is proud of its team. “They handled the visit with professionalism and respect, according to best practices for Texas hemp retailers,” said Todd Harris. We are proud to offer a product which is legal and helps many in our community including seniors and veterans.
The Texas Lottery Commission suddenly banned all courier services within a week, and the Texas Rangers launched a broad-scope investigation into… Within a week, the Texas Lottery Commission suddenly banned all courier services, and the Texas Rangers launched a broad-scope investigation into… pic.twitter.com/llsCn4uhfQ
— Office of the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (@LtGovTX) March 19, 2025
The Texas Cannabis Policy Center released a press release following Patrick’s Wednesday press conference. They criticized the event for being “filled with alarmist rhetoric and unfounded allegations, and ignoring real solutions which would effectively regulate marijuana and ensure consumer security.”
Heather Fazio said that the director of this group believes concerns about synthetic THC could be addressed directly through regulation and legalizing cannabis. Texas’s policy of prohibition has led to the creation of this market.
If lawmakers want to protect consumers, it is logical that they legalize and properly control botanical cannabis, which contains THC naturally, as opposed to implementing broad bans, which increase demand for illegal alternatives.
According to a joint survey released by Bayou City Hemp Company and Hemp Beverage Alliance, a majority of Texans are looking for this.
According to the poll, 68 percent support keeping hemp in its current form while ensuring it is tightly regulated. This includes 80 percent Democrats, 72 cents of Independents and 52 cents of Republicans.
“As the legislature considers Senate Bill 3, the Baselice & Associates poll confirms that voters across party lines support a well-regulated hemp market—not prohibition,” Jonathan Miller, general counsel at U.S. Hemp Roundtable, said. It is not responsible to ban hemp, because it would force products into the black market and put public health at risk.
He said that the Texas legislature must instead adopt regulations which prioritize safety for consumers, guarantee product transparency and keep Texas at the forefront of the rapidly growing hemp industry.
Perry’s ban on hemp bill has advanced in the Senate. However, it is not certain that the House will pass the same legislation.
Recently, the lieutenant-governor cited a recent survey showing that over half of Texans (55%) want to see the state regulate its largely unregulated hemp-derived THC market. But he simultaneously ignored the survey’s other findings: that even more Texans want the state to legalize and regulate marijuana for both medical and adult use.
Meanwhile in Texas, a district judge last month ruled that a local marijuana decriminalization law approved by Dallas voters last year can continue to be implemented— denying a request from the Republican state attorney general that sought to temporarily block the reform as a lawsuit proceeds.
Just weeks after November’s vote, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a suit with the intention of invalidating the law. The state official is using the court system in a number of ways to try to reverse the local cannabis reform effort.
Numerous Texas cities have enacted local decriminalization laws in recent years, and, last January, the attorney general similarly sought to block the reform in Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton.
State district judges dismissed two of the lawsuits—which argue that state law prohibiting marijuana preempts the local policies—in Austin and San Marcos. Elgin has reached an agreement, and the local government pointed out that there was no decriminalization despite voters’ approval.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican governor from Texas, has attacked the efforts of local governments to legalize cannabis.
“Local communities such as towns, cities and counties, they don’t have the authority to override state law,” the governor said last May “If they want to see a different law passed, they need to work with their legislators. Let’s work together to ensure that as a collective, the state will be able to pass some law.
The state’s statute would be “ineffective” and “chaotic” if voters were able to choose which laws to follow in each city.
Abbott has previously said that he doesn’t believe people should be in jail over marijuana possession—although he mistakenly suggested at the time that Texas had already enacted a decriminalization policy to that end.
That said, low-level marijuana possession would be decriminalized in Texas if a new bill filed last week by a key House leader is enacted.
Paxton used even more incendiary rhetoric when he announced his office was suing five cities for their decriminalization of marijuana laws. He also promised to punish the “anarchy,” or “pro-crime extremes” that advocated the reform.
Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Moody (D)’s marijuana decriminalization bill for the 2025 session is the latest of nearly two dozen cannabis-related proposals filed so far in Texas for the current legislative session. Other measures include legalizing adult-use cannabis, banning certain hemp-derived goods, removing criminal penalties for possession of cannabis, and adjusting the existing state medical marijuana laws.
Moody sponsored a similar marijuana decriminalization bill last legislative session, in 2023. That measure, HB 218, passed the House on an 87–59 vote but later died in a Senate committee.
The House had already passed earlier cannabis decriminalization proposals during the two previous legislative sessions, in 2021 and 2019. But the efforts have consistently stalled in the Senate amid opposition from the lieutenant governor.
A poll finds that a majority of Utah voters support legalizing marijuana, while the GOP leader downplays reform prospects
Kimzy Nanney is the photographer.