Texas Senate passes bill to ban THC products, supporters warn of its danger
When Texas legalized hemp in 2019, it inadvertently approved the sale of hemp-derived consumable products with up to 0.3% THC, the primary psychoactive component in the cannabis plant. The Texas Senate on Wednesday, however, approved a measure to ban the sale of any products containing THC.
Senate Bill 3, which the upper chamber passed with a 24-7 vote, is among the top 2025 legislative priorities for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Senate’s presiding officer. During a news conference before the Senate debate, Patrick said that the number of retail outlets that are selling products containing THC has proliferated over the past two years.
“Who opens 8,000 locations in less than four years, most of them since 2023?” Patrick asked reporters. “What business starts out at $8 billion in revenues. That works out, depending on the store average, to about $100,000 maybe a month, $1 million (a year) per store.”
Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick speak during a press conference at the Texas Capitol Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Patrick and law enforcement from across the state gathered to express their support for legislation that would crack down on the sale of synthetic THC products.
Sen. Charles Perry, the Lubbock Republican who authored SB 3, said the products containing THC and the substance itself is much more potent now than the marijuana of a generation ago. He said he has heard reports of people becoming mentally ill from using the products, with some of them even dying from the effects.
“One hit, one habit, and the door to schizophrenia swings wide open, never fully closing again,” he said.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Mental Health have that the overuse of THC poses myriad dangers.
“Chronic, heavy — every day or almost — use of cannabis products with THC is associated with developing cannabis use disorder, a type of substance use disorder,” the federal drug abuse institute says on its website. “Studies have estimated that 22% to 30% of people who use cannabis have the disorder.”
The mental health agency said researchers have found “strong evidence of an association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia among men and women, though the association was much stronger among young men.”
The strongest predictor of cannabis use disorder is how often someone uses it, but other factors, like a family history of drug use and how long a person has been using cannabis, can also play a role.
According to the official analysis of the bill, the measure would “ban the sale of all consumable hemp products that contain THC.” Consumable hemp products that only contain cannabidiol, commonly called CBD, or cannabigerol, known as CBG, would remain legal under the bill. Both are non-psychoactive cannabinoid substances.
Legal products would have to comply with a strict regulatory framework, according to the bill analysis.
SB 3 would prohibit the sale and marketing of consumable hemp products to people under 21. It would require legal consumable hemp products to be properly labeled and placed in tamper-proof, child-resistant packaging.
Patrick warned that retailers selling THC products have set up shop near schools and neighborhoods, causing him to worry that minors are gaining access to them in the form of snacks and drinks. On Tuesday, he visited a shop selling consumable hemp products and he was asked to show proof of age.
In a video posted on his social media page, Patrick said he was told anyone entering the shop had to be 21, but he wasn’t sure if everyone was enforcing it.
A map showing locations of hemp stores and public schools is seen during a press conference at the Texas Capitol Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and law enforcement from across the state gathered to express their support for legislation that would crack down on the sale of synthetic THC products.
The store later issued a news release saying it operates a legitimate business with adequate guard rails in place to protect the public.
“We are proud of our team here at Happy Cactus,” co-owner Todd Harris said in the release. “They handled the visit according to the best practices of Texas hemp retailers and with professionalism and respect. We are proud to provide a legal product that helps many people in our community, including veterans and seniors.”
During his news conference, Patrick said that not every store selling the products is operating in an underhanded manner.
“I’m sure there’s some good actors. I’m sure there are a lot of bad actors,” he said. “And remember, people over 21 can go and buy it and give it to the kids.”
During the Senate floor debate over the bill, Perry rebuffed arguments calling for at least some of the products containing THC to remain legal, but with tighter regulations.
Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San-Antonio, said veterans and others use the products to help cope with post-traumatic stress. He said he supports regulating stores so that they are not close to schools or churches but worries that Perry’s bill would be too heavy handed.
Perry said that other legislation awaiting Senate consideration would make exceptions for people who need the product for “compassionate use.” But his goal is to prohibit all other sales of THC products.
“This is changing people’s life in short order because it’s been marketed as something that is safe and legal and it’s anything but,” he said. “The deception in this industry and what they have created and the lives they have ruined is unacceptable and unnecessary.”
Menendez and Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, said the legislation might have the unintended effect of opening up Texas to the black market for THC products.
“Much like prohibition didn’t stop drinking, this bill isn’t going to get people to stop what they are doing,” Menendez said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Why the Texas Senate wants to ban products that contain THC
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