Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced new legislation Thursday that would ban the sale of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) throughout the state.
Senate Bill 3, if passed, will override a 2019 Texas law that permits the commercialization of hemp products with small doses of nonintoxicating Delta 9 THC to promote the state's agriculture industry.
"Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible," Patrick released in a statement. "These stores not only sold to adults, but they targeted Texas children and exposed them to dangerous levels of THC."
"Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up in communities across the state, and many sell products, including beverages, that have three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer," he added.
Read more at The Hill