March 24, 2025 | Legislative Lies, Damned Lies, and “Loopholes How Texas Lawmakers Created the Hemp Market They Now Want to Ban “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”—Mark Twain Following a playbook more than a century old, Texas Prohibitionists have pushed the false claim that hemp producers and retailers exploited a “lo… Read Article
March 20, 2025 | Business, Football Ricky Williams Joins SB3 Fight Will $475,000 Campaign Help Bring a 4th Quarter Win? Former Longhorn and Heisman winner Ricky Williams hopes to sway Texas lawmakers on cannabis legislation. He co-founded Project Champion with former NFL athletes Jim McMahon and Kyle Turley. Together, the trio hopes to use their influence — and … Read Article
March 20, 2025 | Texas Legal & Regulatory News The Big Smear: False and Misleading Claims Dan Patrick and Sen. Perry’s Press Conference Deconstructed and Debunked Executive Summary On March 19, 2025, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick hosted a legislative briefing to address the proliferation of synthetic THC products across the state. The briefing centered on Senate Bill 3, introduced by Senator Charles Perry, which aims to ban these products completel… Read Article
March 19, 2025 | Business, News Happy Cactus Team “Cards” Texas Lt. Governor Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick Visits Responsibly-Managed Austin-Based Legal-Hemp Retailer Yesterday, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick visited the Happy Cactus, a legal hemp retailer in Austin, Texas. When Patrick entered the store, the employees asked for identification to verify his… Read Article
March 18, 2025 | News Lt Dan. Making House Calls In an effort to remain vigilant and true to his word Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is now making house calls to area store owners in a measure of enforcement that goes right to the top! Employees of south Austin store owner Todd Harris of the Happy Cactus were greeted with questions about produc… Read Article
March 15, 2025 | Texas Legal & Regulatory News Texas Hemp: True Economic Numbers “Who are you going to believe, me or your own lying eyes?” — Groucho Marx, noted comedian and cigar enthusiast This week’s release of the Whitney Economics study on the Texas Hemp Industry should have been an eye-opener—at least for anyone willing to acknowledge reality. The more I review the num… Read Article
March 14, 2025 | The Drug War A History of Marijuana Prohibition Fueled by Fear and Prejudice In the early 20th century, a new moral crusade took root in Texas against a little-known intoxicant: marijuana. Local headlines warned of a “native Mexican herb which causes the smoker to crave murder” . Preachers, politicians, and press alike painted cannabis as a menace lurking in immigrant com… Read Article
March 11, 2025 | Texas Legal & Regulatory News Whitney: Economic Impact of the Texas Hemp Industry Total Market Value: The Texas hemp-derived cannabinoid industry generates $5.5 billion annually. • Retail Sales: The retail sector alone contributes $4.3 billion in revenue. • Overall Economic Impact: The industry supports $10.2 billion in total economic activity. • Tax Contributions: Hemp-derive… Read Article
March 11, 2025 | Business, Legislative The Economic Toll of SB 3: How Restrictive Hemp Legislation Could Devastate Texas’ Economy Texas, as the state anthem says, is “supremely blessed“ as the nation’s second largest economy—in the top ten in the world if it were considered an independent nation surpassing nations like Canada and Russia, with businesses relocations and startups benefitting from low taxes and regulations, ec… Read Article
March 10, 2025 | Legislative The Fear Machine: How Chief Steve Dye’s Testimony Fuels a Bogus Prohibition System The Fear Machine: How Chief Steve Dye’s Testimony Fuels a Bogus Prohibition System Chief Steve Dye isn’t a bad man. By all accounts, he is a law enforcement officer who sincerely believes that his work helps keep Texans safe. When he testified in favor of Senate Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1505—propos… Read Article
March 7, 2025 | Legislative Texas SB 3 Hearing: Industry Advocates Challenge “Reefer Madness” Tactics… ‘Reefer Madness’ Rhetoric vs. Industry Response A contentious Texas Senate hearing on Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) – a proposal to ban all consumable forms of THC – erupted into a fierce debate between prohibition advocates and a broad coalition of industry experts, medical patients, and vete… Read Article
March 7, 2025 | Legislative, The Drug War Top Ten Prohibitionist Lies The March 3 hearing showcased the best anti-THC talking points from the 1970’s, 80’s and beyond. Like a hit parade of bogus tunes, here’s the Top Ten Prohibitionist Lies 1. “Marijuana is a Gateway Drug” • Falsehood: Using marijuana leads people to use harder drugs like heroin or meth. • Reality: … Read Article
March 3, 2025 | Legislative The Curious Timing of SB3 and the DSHS Inspections The Curious Timing of SB3 and the DSHS Consumable Hemp Program Inspections Cannonballs at the Alamo (Our Texas Hemp Industry) On February 20, 2025, two significant regulatory shifts are set to take effect in Texas: the release of Senate Bill 3 (SB3) and the initiation of an intensified insp… Read Article
February 22, 2025 | Legislative Texas Advocacy for Hemp: Life Rafts vs. Torpedoes The Texas Legislature is not kind to perceived bad industries that show division. Lawmakers, especially those in the governing party, are well-practiced in divide-and-rule. When they see infighting, they exploit it. When they see an industry that can’t even align on its own interests, they… Read Article
February 21, 2025 | Legislative Hemp Wars: Lt. Dan Marches Senate into Kill-Zone Political Commentary | Jay Maguire – Political Editor Texas Hemp Reporter – Senate Bill 3, introduced by Senator Charles Perry and backed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, represents Texas’ most aggressive crackdown on hemp-derived cannabinoids. The bill would ban all cannabinoids e… Read Article
