Texas

Texas is in the middle of the country’s most contentious hemp policy fight. Following passage of the 2018 Farm Bill and Texas HB 1325 in 2019, the state built an ~$8 billion hemp industry with 8,000+ permitted retailers and 50,000+ employees. In 2025, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made banning hemp-derived THC his top legislative priority. SB 3 — which would have banned all consumable hemp cannabinoids except CBD and CBG — passed both chambers under intense pressure (Senate 26-5, House 87-54). Governor Abbott, citing federal preemption risk and pressure from veterans’ groups (150,000+ petition signatures), vetoed SB 3 on June 22, 2025 and called two special sessions. Both failed. On September 10, 2025, Abbott issued Executive Order GA-56 directing DSHS and TABC to regulate via existing authority — the origin of the 21+ age gate, retailer registration fees, and DSHS’s proposed total-THC rewrite of 25 TAC §300.101. That rewrite took effect March 31, 2026 but was blocked by Travis County Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle on May 1, 2026 pending trial in late July 2026. Separately, SB 2024 (Sept 2025, codified at H&S Code §161.0876) banned hemp vapes as a Class A misdemeanor — this ban is independent of the litigation. Hemp-derived beverages remain legal under the Farm Bill delta-9 test at 21+ TABC-supervised retail, but the federal Nov 12, 2026 cliff threatens the entire category regardless of how the state litigation resolves.