{"id":683796,"date":"2026-03-26T19:21:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/683796\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T19:21:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:21:21","slug":"texas-looming-ban-on-smokable-thc-products-creates-turmoil-for-industry-and-its-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/683796\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas’ looming ban on smokable THC products creates turmoil for industry and its customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SmokableSmokable hemp products such as these will be banned statewide come March 31. Credit: Shutterstock \/ Jose HERNANDEZ Camera 51<\/p>\n

When Brook Richie learned that Texas had moved to ban smokable hemp products \u2014\u00a0something that will go into effect March 31 \u2014\u00a0she wasn\u2019t surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could already see it heading in this direction,\u201d said Richie, who owns Bee\u2019s Wellness Cafe, a dispensary in the Thousand Oaks Shopping Center. \u201cIt just seems to be unfair for the people of Texas, because [state officials] are basically telling them how they can get their medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s looming ban, which will go into effect along with a rash of new regulations on purveyors of hemp-derived THC, was months in the making. Even so, it seems to have caught many users of the products off guard.<\/p>\n

Last summer, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed<\/a> Senate Bill 3 \u2014 a piece of legislation pushed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a fellow Republican, that would have banned most THC-derived hemp products statewide. GOP leaders failed<\/a> to broker a new deal following the veto, but got a lift when Abbott directed the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to increase regulations on the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The regulations DSHS responded with included increasing licensing fees, adding a variety of testing and labeling requirements, and, significantly, lowering the allowable amount of THC in products to 0.3%. That last change essentially eliminates all legal sales \u200b\u200bof smokable hemp products such as joints and flower buds.<\/p>\n

And, yes, those smokable products make up the majority of sales for many of the state\u2019s hemp retailers and distributors. Not surpassingly, that\u2019s frustrated and angered dispensary operators \u2014\u00a0especially since it comes as they face so many other new regulations. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel like instead of outright banning it, they should just crack down more on the testing part to make sure it is compliant, regulated, and make sure people are getting what they think they\u2019re getting,\u201d said David Burrow, CEO of San Antonio\u2019s Alamo Botanicals.<\/p>\n

Burrow said THC products are largely misunderstood, and he said that problem stems from misinformation spread from the highest level of state government<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over recent years, Patrick \u2014\u00a0one of the state\u2019s most outspoken GOP culture warriors \u2014\u00a0has been particularly outspoken in his objections to THC products, arguing that no one really knows what the products contain. He\u2019s also attempted to link<\/a> them to youth suicides and suggested they\u2019re responsible for a wider public health crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Understanding of THC\u2019s health effects is still developing<\/a>, and researchers give Patrick\u2019s claims mixed reviews at best.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the spread of misinformation, and an opposition seemingly baked into the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature, Burrow said business at Alamo Botanicals has been steady in recent years coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, he now worries the stability of his business.\u00a0Smokable products accounted for 30-35% of Alamo Botanicals\u2019 sales. Vapes made up for 15-20% until a separate measured banned them statewide last year. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said it wasn\u2019t going to make an impact,\u201d Burrow said of the latest ban. \u201cIt is a big part of the business, but not something that is going to impact our ability to take care of our community and stay open.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BusinessesBusinesses such as Alamo Botanicals say the pending ban will cut into their sales. Credit: Instagram \/ alamobotanicals<\/p>\n

Burrow said the wide variety of products Alamo Botanicals offers should allow his venture to weather the loss of revenue from smokable products.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even so, the industry is already feeling the reverberations of the new regulations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One dispensary in the Alamo Ranch area is closing, Richie of Bee\u2019s Wellness said. The business\u2019 owners plan to reopen in a state where recreational marijuana is legal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even aside from the new ban on smokable products, the uncertainty about what will be legal to sell year-to-year is having an effect on dispensary operators, according to Richie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely stress-inducing, and it does make people question whether they should stay in this industry,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Part of the frustration for dispensary operators is the logic of outlawing the smokable products even as other products remain on the shelves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the actual plant,\u201d Burrow said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a synthetic product, it hasn\u2019t been altered in any way, it\u2019s just the closest you can get to the plant. And it\u2019s the fastest acting too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And there are reasons why some prefer to smoke rather than take an edible or drink an infused beverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important things is the control that smoking gives the consumer,\u201d Richie said. \u201cWhenever they imbibe with smoking, they are going to be able to control it easier. They are going to be able to stop when they feel relief, and they know the duration is going to last an hour to an hour-and-a-half.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A considerable number of those who prefer to smoke are going to find ways to continue to do so rather than switching to other THC-infused hemp products, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re probably just going to get illegal [products],\u201d Richie said. \u201cThey never know what they\u2019re going to get on the streets \u2026 so, actually, the population is now at risk, because a legal version that is safe and traceable is being taken away from them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The assertion that people will turn to the black market raises broader public policy questions about whether it\u2019s better to legalize and regulate substances like THC or whether that encourages people who might not otherwise smoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a discussion happening happening at the national level as well. A federal ban<\/a> on numerous THC-derived hemp products also is scheduled to take effect in November, further raising anxiety for hemp businesses and users.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Richie said she\u2019s not deterred in her mission at Bee\u2019s Wellness Cafe. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI still feel like I was put onto this path and that I\u2019m here to help people,\u201d Richie said. \u201cI\u2019m going to stay here and I\u2019m going to stay strong so that I can help support our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HempHemp retailers now face increased a raft of pending regulations on the state and federal side. Credit: Sanford Nowlin<\/p>\n

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