Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced new legislation Thursday that would ban the sale of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) throughout the state.
Senate Bill 3, if passed, will override a 2019 Texas law that permits the commercialization of hemp products with small doses of nonintoxicating Delta 9 THC to promote the state’s agriculture industry.
“Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible,” Patrick released in a statement. “These stores not only sold to adults, but they targeted Texas children and exposed them to dangerous levels of THC.”
“Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up in communities across the state, and many sell products, including beverages, that have three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer,” he added.
Marijuana, which is currently outlawed in the state for recreational use, typically contains 10 percent to 30 percent THC — the chemical ingredient most commonly associated with a buzz. The law does permit usage of low-THC cannabis products if preapproved for medical reasons.
Patrick said he believes standing laws allow for loopholes for retailers to sell more potent products.
“We are not going to allow these retailers to circumvent the law and put Texans’ lives in danger,” he said in the statement.
“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,” the lieutenant governor added.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also made strides to crack down on THC usage in the Lone Star State by suing the city of Dallas for introducing a ballot measure that would prevent police from arresting or issuing citations for cannabis possession or considering the odor of marijuana as probable cause for search or seizure.
“Cities cannot pick and choose which State laws they follow,” Paxton said in a statement last month. “The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them.”
“This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office,” he added.