Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign a priority bill from the state’s Republican legislature that would ban all THC in the state with strict punishment rules, marking what some are calling another round of “Reefer Madness” in the Lone Star State.
Despite Texas having a strong market for hemp-based THC products – Spectrum News 1 in Austin reported as many as 50,000 Texan jobs rely on the industry – and 48% of the United States having legalized it recreationally, Senate Bill 3 would shut down 8,000 businesses if signed.
The bill seeks to close a loophole created in a 2019 bill allowing for hemp-derived products to be sold, including THC gummies that can be used medicinally or recreationally. The law specifically targets delta-8 THC, a synthetic cannabinoid derived from hemp.
Proponents of the bill have used various arguments to support and defend it. The bill’s author, Texas Sen. Charles Perry, claims the hemp industry has exploited the changes to the hemp law, while Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during a press conference that sellers of THC products “want to kill your kids” and said banning THC would “save an entire generation from being hooked on drugs.”
The bill would ban all THC products with specific carve-outs for low-level THC prescriptions for medical marijuana. Those found in possession of a cannabis product after September would face fines of $500, with fines increasing and jail time if someone violates the law multiple times.
While the bill does allow for CBD and CBG products to continue to be sold, experts told the Texas Tribune that those products would likely be impossible to produce in the state under such strict regulations.
As of August 2023, Whitney Economics reported that “cannabusinesses” in Texas employed more than 50,000 people and generated more than $8 billion in revenue each year.
In addition to businesses, that report found popularity of these products were growing among consumers, with adults using hemp-based and hemp-derived cannabinoid products for pain relief and as an alternative to pharmaceutical products.
“The majority of my customers are cancer patients or veterans, and it hurts my heart to see them tear up in not being able to get this,” Melissa Morrow, the manager of a THC and CBD shop in Fort Worth, told Spectrum 1 News.
Experts in the cannabis industry have told publications that the bill, if made law, would push buyers back to the black market and illegal products. The Texas Observer noted a similar law in 2024 made it to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk, but he vetoed it to protect small businesses.
In Connecticut, cannabis use is legal for adults over the age of 21 to purchase, consume and grow, allowing residents freedom to make usage decisions for themselves. The state regularly updates its policy, first passed in 2021, to limit THC sales on the black market, prevent underage use and ensure consumers are receiving tested and safe products.
