Texas Senate Passes Senate Bill 3: A Major Ban On THC Products Statewide

The Texas Senate has passed a sweeping new bill that would ban all forms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis. The legislation—Senate Bill 3, authored by State Senator Charles Perry of Lubbock—passed with a 24-7 vote and now heads to the Texas House for further debate.

The bill would outlaw the sale of consumable hemp products containing any amount of THC, effectively ending the legal sale of items like gummies, vapes, drinks, and smokable hemp flower across more than 8,300 Texas retailers. The move represents a major rollback of the state’s 2019 hemp law, which allowed products containing less than 0.3% THC.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who called SB 3 one of his “top five” priorities, spoke strongly in favor of the ban. “This is a poison in our public,” Patrick said. “Our number one responsibility is life and death issues... and this is one of them.”

Senator Perry echoed the concern. While he led the 2019 bill that legalized hemp, he said the intent was never to allow the rise of a booming THC market. “This is not the pot of yesterday,” Perry said. “This is stuff that will change lives forever.”

Critics of the bill, including Senator Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin), argue that SB 3 goes too far. “This bill would put the entire consumable hemp industry out of business in Texas,” she said on the Senate floor.

Supporters of the ban cite concerns over mislabeled or unregulated products with high THC concentrations being sold to minors. Allen Police Chief Steve Dye told lawmakers that undercover testing in his city revealed some products with THC levels as high as 78%.

Still, many industry advocates warn that a total ban could do more harm than good. Mark Bordas, head of the Texas Hemp Business Council, said lawmakers are conflating legal hemp products with black-market marijuana. He called for stricter regulations—not a ban—including age restrictions, packaging standards, and clearer enforcement.

The Texas House is expected to take up its own hemp legislation, House Bill 28, which focuses more on regulation than prohibition. If passed, the two chambers will need to reconcile differences before any new law is enacted.

For now, businesses, consumers, and advocates across Texas—including here in Lubbock—are waiting to see what comes next.