Texas House committee kills total ban on THC products but would ban cities from decriminalizing pot

The Texas House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted to throttle back a bill passed by the Texas Senate that would almost completely outlaw hemp products containing THC, the compound in cannabis that gets people high.

In a bipartisan 15-0 vote, the House State Affairs Committee voted to revise Senate Bill 3 so that THC-containing products could continue to be sold, but only at licensed hemp specialty stores. Those same products — including vapes, edibles, drinks and flower — would no longer be sold at convenience stores, gas stations and non-specialized smoke shops, though.

The Senate passed SB 3 after Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who controls that chamber’s agenda, prioritized a ban on the sale and possession of hemp products that contain THC, claiming the unregulated industry is harmful to kids. Advocates for the state’s growing hemp industry pushed back, warning the ban would eliminate 50,000 jobs.

Under the now-revised SB 3, the sale of hemp products would be moved from state health officials’ purview to that of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which would also take half the tax revenue. Accredited crime labs and opioid narcotic response services would split the remaining income produced by the program.

While licensed hemp stores could continue to sell THC-containing products, edibles and drinks would be capped at 10 mg of THC, while flower would be capped at 0.3%, under the proposal.

In contrast, the version that passed the Senate would ban the sale of all THC gummies, vapes, drinks and flower by public retailers, effectively dismantling an $8 billion industry that sprung up following the passing of the 2019 Farm Bill that opened a loophole that allowed these products to be sold.

Although committee’s revision to SB 3 gives some hope residents can continue legally purchasing THC-containing products, a separate bill that passed by the House State Affairs Committee the same day is bound to harsh the mellow of Lone Star State stoners.

In a 9-6 vote, the committee approved Senate Bill 1870, which would ban municipalities from creating rules that decriminalize possession of cannabis. Since 2022, nine Texas cities have passed ordinances or amended their city charters to allow low-level possession, including Austin, San Marcos, Denton, Killeen, Elgin, Harker Heights, Dallas, Bastrop and Lockhart.

Both bills will now head to the House floor for a vote.

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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 13, 2025.