Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has announced a sweeping legislative effort to ban all forms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the state.
Senate Bill 3, introduced in collaboration with State Senator Charles Perry, aims to eliminate the sale of consumable THC products, which Patrick claims pose a significant threat to public health and safety.
Patrick linked the proposal to concerns over unregulated THC products proliferating in Texas communities. “Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up across the state. These stores not only sold to adults but targeted Texas children and exposed them to dangerous levels of THC”, said Patrick.
The lieutenant governor pointed to beverages and other consumable products allegedly containing three to four times the THC concentration found in marijuana as evidence of the problem. According to Patrick, these items exploit a loophole in the 2019 agriculture law, House Bill 1325, which legalized hemp production with trace, non-intoxicating amounts of Delta-9 THC. Retailers, he claims, used the legislation to market potent THC products that were not originally intended to be commercialized under the law.
Senate Bill 3 seeks to close this loophole by banning all THC-containing products. Patrick expressed confidence that the measure would garner bipartisan support. “This bill will have broad bipartisan support in the Senate, and I trust the House will also see the danger of these products and pass this bill with overwhelming support so it can become law immediately.”
If passed, the legislation could dramatically reshape the landscape of THC-related commerce in Texas, potentially shutting down thousands of retail stores currently selling these products.
