HOUSTON – With just days left in the special legislative session, a bill to ban hemp-derived THC products in Texas hasn’t moved in the Texas House leaving parents, addiction recovery advocates, and some school leaders increasingly frustrated.
Senate Bill 3, which passed the Texas Senate earlier this month, would ban the sale of any product containing a “detectable amount of any cannabinoid.” If passed, the measure would effectively eliminate the vast majority of legal hemp-derived THC products sold in Texas including popular delta-8 and delta-9 edibles and vapes.
Supporters of the ban say the delay is unacceptable, especially given what they describe as the growing danger these products pose to young people.
“If the bill dies and we have to go two more years and battle this again, that means more families harmed,” said Aubree Adams, director of Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas.
Adams has been at the forefront of the push for a full ban. Her son, who she says developed a THC addiction while in recovery, relapsed after accessing vape products legally sold in Houston.
“He was going and buying nicotine vape as a harm reduction with his recovery program. And so those products were readily available in those shops,” Adams explained. “I lost all my equity paying for my son’s treatment.”
She says the state has failed families like hers. She directed her criticism at Governor Greg Abbott for recently meeting with hemp industry leaders while not meeting directly with families affected by teen addiction.
“He hasn’t even met with our families,” Adams said. “He’s met with the industry, but he has never met with us… We want to be in the same room with him. We want to educate him on how horrible this drug is.”
KPRC 2 reached out to the governor’s office for comment but hasn’t received a comment.
The Texas Hemp Business Council, which opposes the ban, says regulation, not prohibition, is the answer. In a statement responding to Adams, the group said, “Governor Abbott’s veto message was clear: regulate hemp responsibly, don’t ban it. Texans deserve choice, not coercion.”
Meanwhile, in the heart of Houston’s medical district, Archway Academy, the largest recovery high school in the country, says the political gridlock could have consequences for the students they serve.
The school caters to teens recovering from substance use disorders, many of whom travel long distances daily from neighborhoods like Katy, Sunnyside, Santa Fe, and River Oaks to attend classes in a sober, supportive environment.
“There’s so much talk about policy,” said Clifton Gillock, Archway Academy’s communication director and a graduate of the school himself. “But what’s missing from the conversation is the investment in actual recovery resources. If you’re going to legalize or regulate these products, you have to fund the treatment systems too.”
Gillock, who has lost 66 friends to overdose or alcohol-related deaths over the past decade, said the debate over hemp is personal.
“For me, drugs and alcohol muted who I was. I lost my identity,” Gillock said. “What I found at Archway was a place where I felt safe, where I felt understood.”
Archway operates like a charter school but focuses on sobriety as part of its core mission. It currently has 38 students enrolled, with 76% receiving financial aid.
“Funding is always a challenge,” said Gillock. “We do charge program fees, but we’ve never turned a student away because they couldn’t pay.”
With no further movement in the House and Labor Day looming, supporters of the ban say time is running out and so is patience.
“[Abbot] is not listening to us. He’s listening to the hemp industry,” Adams said. “If he lets this bill die and nothing happens, that’s on his shoulders.”
Texas Hemp Business Council Statement
“We believe House lawmakers will take a more common-sense approach to HB 6 rather than following the Senate’s push to gift-wrap the entire cannabis market to a few, select state-licensed marijuana companies, one of which already controls over 75% of the market.
“The claim that the restrictive Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) can replace hemp-derived cannabinoids is misleading and dangerous.
“TCUP currently serves just over 100,000 patients and requires registration, physician prescriptions, higher prices and fewer options. While HB 46 was an attempt to improve the program, it does little to expand real access to a restrictive and expensive TCUP program that serves an entirely different purpose than hemp.
“Meanwhile, hemp is legal and regulated under federal and state law and serves millions of adult consumers and veterans who rely on affordable, accessible alternatives for wellness, pain relief and more.
“HB 6 will destroy a $10 billion industry that supports over 53,000 jobs and eliminate economic opportunity for thousands of small business owners across the state. All this is being done under the false flag of ‘safety,’ while the real goal is market control by a politically connected few. This isn’t about protecting public health; it’s about protecting a monopoly.
“Governor Abbott’s veto message was clear: regulate hemp responsibly, don’t ban it. Texans deserve choice, not coercion. We are confident that House members, who have historically taken a more pragmatic and balanced view, will see HB 6 for what it is: prohibition disguised as policy. Public opinion, economic data and common sense all point in the same direction: this is a manufactured crisis driven by special interests, not public demand.
“That’s why THBC and the vast majority of Texans strongly support a common-sense alternative that includes 21+ age limits, child-resistant packaging and setbacks from schools. It’s the right path forward for public safety, economic freedom and the future of hemp in Texas.”