For a hot minute this year, Texas’ massive hemp industry was staring down extinction. Senate Bill 3 threatened to outlaw nearly every consumable hemp product containing even a whiff of THC—a move that would have left shelves bare, farms idle, and thousands of Texans out of work. We’re talking about a potential hempocalypse for an industry that supports more than 8,500 Texas-based hemp businesses, employs 53,000 Texans, and pumps about $5.5 billion in sales and over $10 billion in economic impact into the Texas economy each year.
But hemp advocates didn’t just roll over and play dead. Farmers, business owners, veterans, medical patients, advocates, and everyday Texans spoke up, and LOUDLY. The result? The Governor vetoed SB 3, and hemp dodged the doomsday scenario. Instead of a wipeout, Texans got a package of reasonable reforms supported by the local hemp industry: a 21+ age restriction, stricter labeling and testing, and stronger oversight. Call it a grown-up compromise that keeps consumers safe without kneecapping an entire sector.
Of course, every victory has its asterisk. A separate law in Texas banned the sale of hemp vapes altogether—whether THC, THCA, CBD, or delta-8. Possession is still legal, but retailers can no longer sell them in Texas. That’s the bitter pill in an otherwise sweet win, and a reminder that hemp’s political future in Texas continues to be a little…hazy.
Hempocalypse? No. Instead, the industry notched a rare victory in the Texas Legislature. The lesson? Don’t mess with Texas hemp—unless you’re ready for a bumper crop of advocates on the Capitol steps.
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Special thanks to the Texas Cannabis Policy Center for keeping us up to date on these fast moving policy changes.
