SAN ANTONIO – A bill is sitting on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk that could ban all THC products in Texas.
Senate Bill 3 outlines new regulations for consumable hemp products in the state. It virtually bans all THC products with a few exceptions, like CBD.
Support has been loud from state leaders like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“It can poison you, not just children but adults,” Patrick said at a news conference last week in Austin.
But residents are still waiting to see if the governor signs the bill or vetoes it. KSAT asked him for his position on the bill Monday afternoon in an exclusive interview.
“I’ll be taking a look at it with regard to something that I think may have passed last night, and that is a new expanded medical marijuana law that looks like it will be coming to my desk also,” Abbott said. “I need to be able to sit down and look at them as a whole and see what they do and see what they don’t do.”
He was talking about a different bill: House Bill 46. It would expand who can apply for medical use of low-THC cannabis under the Texas Compassionate Use Program. Patrick said it would also add more locations for cannabis pickup through this program in Texas.
Businesses, in the meantime, have been bracing for what happens if SB 3 becomes law.
Michael Vega, a store manager at Emerald Forest CBD Dispensary, said 70% of his sales come from THC products.
When asked how much of his products would have to disappear if the THC ban goes through, Vega said, “probably all of this.”
“It’s scary,” he said.
Vega said his store would try to stay open for as long as possible, but that might not be a reality for everyone.
“More than likely, a lot of businesses are going to have to shut down, especially small, single shops,” Vega said.
Emmanuel Treka, a business operator for CBD Janes, said he predicts a similar fate.
“Most of our customers are veterans, so a lot of them come in here for pain, PTSD and insomnia,” Treka said. “If it comes down to it, we’ll probably have to close down some of our stores.”
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