When Texas legalized marijuana in 2019, it inadvertently approved the sale of cannabis-derived consumables from the main THC in the cannabis plant, the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. However, the Texas Senate approved a measure Wednesday to ban the sale of any product containing THC.
The House of Lords passed Senate Bill 3 by 24-7 is one of the 2025 legislative priorities for Senate host Lieutenant Dan Patrick. In a press conference ahead of the Senate debate, Patrick said the number of retail stores selling THC products has surged in the past two years.
“Who has opened 8,000 locations in less than four years, most of them since 2023?” Patrick asked reporters. “What business has revenue of $8 billion. It depends on the average of the stores, about $100,000 a month, and $1 million per store.”
Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) and Gov. Dan Patrick spoke at a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Patrick and law enforcement from across the state gathered to express support for the legislation that would undermine the sale of synthetic THC products.
Lubbock Republican Senator Charles Perry, who wrote SB 3, said products containing THC and the substance itself are now more effective than cannabis a generation ago. He said he has heard reports that people suffer from mental illnesses due to the use of these products, some of which even die from effects.
“The door to one hit, one habit and schizophrenia is open and never completely closed again,” he said.
Overuse of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health poses numerous dangers.
“The chronic, heavy, and chronic, and heavy cannabis products that use THC every day or almost are associated with the development of cannabis use disorder, which is a drug use disorder,” the Federal Institute of Drug Abuse said on its website. “Study estimates that 22 to 30% of people who use marijuana have the disease.”
The mental health agency said the researchers found “strong evidence of a link between marijuana use disorder and schizophrenia in men and women, although the association is stronger among young people.”
The strongest predictor of marijuana use disorder is how often someone uses it, but other factors, such as family history of drug use and how long a person uses marijuana, can also play a role.
According to an official analysis of the bill, the measure would “ban the sale of all marijuana products containing THC.” Under this bill, cannabis consumption products that contain only cannabidiol (commonly referred to as CBD) or cannabisol (called CBG) will remain legal. Both are non-psychoactive cannabinoids.
According to the bill analysis, legal products must comply with strict regulatory frameworks.
SB 3 will prohibit the sale and marketing of easy marijuana products to those under the age of 21. It requires legally consumed cannabis products to be properly marked and placed in tamper-resistant, child-resistant packaging.
Patrick warned that retailers selling THC products have opened stores near schools and communities, which has worried that minors are gaining exposure in the form of snacks and drinks. On Tuesday, he visited a store selling easy marijuana products and was asked to show proof of age.
Patrick said in a video posted on his social media page that he was told that anyone entering the store must be at least 21 years old, but he is not sure if everyone is executing it.
A map was seen at the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
The store later issued a press release saying it operates a legal business and provides enough guardrails to protect the public.
“We are proud of the team at Happy Cactus,” co-owner Todd Harris said in a press release. “They handle visits based on best practices from Texas cannabis retailers and with professionalism and respect. We are honored to provide a legal product to help many in the community, including veterans and seniors.”
Not every store that sells products operates in a insufficient way, Patrick said in a press conference.
“I'm sure there are some good actors. I'm sure there are a lot of bad actors,” he said. “Remember, people over 21 can go buy it and hand it over to the kids.”
In the Senate debate on the bill, Perry rejected a debate where at least some of the products that include THC remained legal but had stricter regulations.
D-San-Antonio Senator Jose Menendez said veterans and others use the products to help deal with post-traumatic stress. He said he supports regulating stores so that they are not close to schools or churches, but worried that Perry's bill would be too heavy.
Other legislation waiting for Senate consideration will give exceptions to those who need the product as “compassionate”, Perry said. But his goal is to ban the sale of all other THC products.
“This has changed people’s lives in the short term because it has been sold as something safe and legal, but what is it,” he said. “This industry and the deceptions it creates and the lives they destroy are unacceptable and unnecessary.”
D-Austin's Menendez and Senator Sarah Eckhardt said the legislation could have unexpected implications for opening Texas to the black market for THC products.
“Just like the ban hasn't stopped drinking, this bill will not let people stop what they are doing,” Menendez said.
This article originally appeared in Austin American politician: Why the Texas Senate wants to ban products containing THC
