Tag: Lt. Govener Dan Patrick

MAHA a “yes”- but no to Reefer Madness

Written by Mark Bordas on February 17, 2025. Posted in Legislative. No Comments on MAHA a “yes”- but no to Reefer Madness

In recent years (and certainly during the last political cycle) the United States has
experienced a growing shift, and overall desire for natural products, with an increasing
number of people seeking alternatives to processed foods, beverages, and man-made
medicines.

This movement towards holistic choices preceded the more recent MAHA (Make America
Healthy Again) campaign, made popular by Robert F. Kennedy, who has been undergoing
hearings to become the nation’s top health official as Secretary of The United States Health
and Human Services agency.
In an era where processed foods, drinks, and synthetic medicines have dominated, there is
a rising popularity of plant-based solutions, as well as a nationwide effort to restore vitality
by regaining a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. In its most elemental form MAHA seeks
to empower individuals to take control of their lives by embracing organic, plant-based, and
holistic approaches.

Hemp, a versatile plant with nutritional, health, and industrial benefits, is emblematic of
that significant shift towards more natural lifestyles, offering the least amount of THC from
the cannabis plant, along with high concentrations of CBD, omega fatty acids, fiber and
protein.

Recent misrepresentations of hemp (again by definition delivering the least amount of
psychoactive compound THC than any other offering) are reminiscent of an equally out of
touch 1930’s exploitation film “Reefer Madness”. The movie’s premise revolves around
melodramatic events after high school students are introduced to marijuana. Decades
later, the film is now only referenced and enjoyed as a campy parody for laughs.
Although SB 3 has yet to be released (as of this writing) it is no laughing matter, and it too
would seem to suffer from the same, out of step relationship with today’s reality. If the state
of Texas suffers from a “THC problem” it is only logical to deduce that the problem is
derived from sources containing large amounts of THC- not the product with the lowest
amount. Anything being offered as hemp but surpassing the .03 percent THC by dry weight,
by definition, is marijuana and not hemp. So, if Texas has a THC problem it is due in part to
unscrupulous sellers seeking to circumvent existing laws- not the 8,000 licensed hemp
concerns seeking to adhere to it.

Admittedly, the state of Texas has an enforcement problem with perhaps up to eight agents
seeking to enforce existing laws surrounding licensing, quality control, and compliance

checks. Additionally, hemp should be available only as intended: for responsible, adult
use. We need to refine regulations and pass similar product restrictions, akin to those
applied to alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine.

Any thought of prohibiting the product outright should be met with caution. In age of e-
commerce and a historically mobile populace, the thought of eliminating the product

altogether seems fanciful. Afterall, a similar attempt to make alcohol illegal in the United
States is now often referred to as the “Failed Noble Experiment”. From 1920-1933 the
United States saw crime, sickness and deaths climb as black-market alcohol hit the
streets to satisfy the public’s thirst. Today the transport of any product is easier than ever,
as out-of-state and overseas internet concerns would prosper under any prohibition, while
Texas businesses would be shuttered and over 50,000 industry jobs lost. Bootlegged and
black-market products raise the specter of a true public health concern: fentanyl
poisoning.

I remain optimistic that our legislative leaders will ultimately embrace MAHA by allowing
Texans to make individual choices in pursuing healthier lifestyles and rejecting the dated,
misplaced mindset of Reefer Madness.

Keep in mind how proud (and rightfully so) our legislative leaders are of the “Texas Miracle”:
the Lone Star State has been recognized as the Best State for Business for 20 years! It has
won the prestigious Governor’s Cup 12 years in a row for being the most job-creating
corporate location or place to expand existing businesses. Based on federal and state
legalization of hemp, it has grown year-over- year and was valued at being an $8 billion
industry in 2022. Hemp industry owners are part of the 3.2 million small businesses that
employ nearly half of all working Texans. As our legislative leaders like to say they, small
business is the backbone of our state’s economy.

In closing- further, thoughtful regulations to protect the consuming public, by restricting
access to adults, and ensuring those who wish to purchase the product are doing so
through duly licensed, regulated, law-abiding businesses, will serve Texas best. I look
forward to the state winning its 13th Governor’s Cup in a row, and the hemp industry being a
part of that calculation.

Mark Bordas
Executive Director
Texas Hemp Business Council
02/13/25

A Crossroads for the Texas Hemp Industry

Written by texashempreporter on January 12, 2025. Posted in Business, CBD News & Business.

Dear Readers, and Industry Colleagues

As we step into 2025, it’s impossible to ignore the pivotal moment we’re facing in the Texas hemp industry. The announcement of Senate Bill 3 has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the future of hemp in our state. For years, The Texas Hemp Reporter has been a steadfast advocate and resource for this industry, highlighting its innovation, resilience, and potential. But now, more than ever, we need your support to ensure this voice continues to resonate.

Our mission has always been to provide a platform for education, activism, and industry updates that empower Texas hemp leaders and entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, without sufficient backing from industry leaders through advertising revenue, we face difficult decisions about how frequently we can publish in 2025. It’s a stark reality: without your investment, the magazine that champions this industry may not remain as consistent or impactful as we all need it to be.

Despite these challenges, we are not standing still. This February, we are excited to debut Blazed Magazine, a new recreational-focused product that brings fresh energy to the cannabis conversation.

Alongside it, Blazed Weekly News and our new podcast will aim to expand our reach, building bridges with new audiences and opportunities. While these ventures offer promise, our hope is that they can complement—not replace—the foundational work we’ve done with The Texas Hemp Reporter.

This publication has always been more than just a magazine. It’s been a movement, a community, and a critical voice for an industry that deserves recognition and growth. But we can’t do it alone. If you believe in what we’ve built and the future we can achieve together, I urge you to stand with us—through advertising, partnerships, and collaboration.

With your support, we can continue to shine a light on the evolving Texas hemp market and likely remain a quarterly cornerstone for this community in 2025 and beyond.

Blazed Magazine will offer the recreational advertisers, smoke brands and culture of the plant a fun and entertaining avenue for our industry while keeping the Texas Hemp Reporter our authoritative and respected industry publication. Thank you for your continued dedication to this cause. Let’s face these challenges together and create a future where Texas hemp thrives.

We are working on our Legislative Edition this February and plan to release this special issue to lawmakers in March. With your support we can tell the Texas lawmakers why we deserve the opportunity to lead the nation in the growing Hemp industries in the United States.

Texas Legislative Edition Rate Card for advertising.

Warm regards,

Russell Dowden
Publisher | CEO

Dear Grandma, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick is coming after your Hemp Products

Written by Jesse Williams on April 29, 2024. Posted in Texas Legal & Regulatory News.

I hope that this finds you doing well, but your grandson has some concerns about your near future.

I’ve tried telling you in the past that he was looking into ways he could do this. I remember you telling me that there was nothing on the news about it, so it must be my wild imagination. Well, it’s on the news now if you didn’t see.

Our Lt Governor just put out a written list of legislative priorities for the next legislative session. One of them is exactly this grandma. Banning Delta 8 and 9: Examine the sale of intoxicating hemp products in Texas. Make recommendations to further regulate the sale of these products, and suggest legislation to stop retailers who market these products to children.

Nana, we both know you’re no kid. And I hope you know better than to believe that anybody in this state was making products with the hopes that children would get their hands on them. And nobody is trying to argue that the retailers should even be allowed to sell to children. I know that you like the packaging that reminds you of some of your favorite candies, but it’s not like that to get kids involved. It’s like that because it reminds you of your favorite candies and it helps you decide which ones better suit your taste.

And it’s not just the gummies and Dan and his senators will be going after. They will go after any flower products, oils, tinctures, and even the salves you use on your joints. When they say ban the intoxicating substance grandma, they mean to ban the very thing that gives you relief at the chemical level, not the final product level.

The legislature doesn’t know of a way of banning just the end product without allowing some sort of base product that could be used in a way they don’t approve of. They just find it easier to ban the substance altogether. And this substance, it’s naturally part of the plant. All of the work spent creating viable crops with a market that would buy any end product, gone. Out the window. 5 years of hard work across an entire industry will be wiped out. You’ll be left with nothing to use, and the economy will take a giant hit too.

Oma, I’m telling you that over 19 billion dollars in economic action will take a major hit, if not wiped out from the ban. I know that nineteen billion sounds like a joke number to you at times. But one of those big economic firms called Whitney Economics with a load of qualified professionals, reported last year about these numbers. Over one and a half billion dollars was spent on wages in this state alone. That’s over a hundred million dollars in social security funds that are helping to cover your current check from social security. Yeah, you can be mad about it possibly running out, but it won’t help if the state is slashing funds going into the pool of money.

Grams, it won’t help if they cut 5,000 businesses from the market and destroy 50 thousand jobs. It will put a toll on the unemployment system and possibly take a major hit on increasing the homeless population. It will take a hit on families that started these businesses with everything they own as investment to see it succeed. The government isn’t going to bail out a business it tries to cut.

Abuela, I know that you had access in other states and in one of the places you lived before retirement that it was the equivalent of a parking ticket for getting caught. It’s not like that here in Texas. If you have flower it’s class B misdemeanor which means a huge fine and jail time. If you have the gummies and oil, it’s jail time from being a felony. Por el amor de Dios Abuela, te ruego que tomes esto en serio. Al estado de Texas no le importa un carajo tu vejez.

Older people are making up a bigger population of the prison system grandma, and it’s coming from new arrests and not just people getting old in the system. I don’t want to see you becoming one of them. Those people don’t get almost any of their proper meds. Your special diet for your heart and blood sugar, doesn’t exist.

I’m not asking for people to be able to sell to kids. It hasn’t really been an issue. I don’t think anybody would have a problem with requiring only adults to be able to purchase it over the counter. We’re not needing marketing legislation either, grandma, it already exists to stop companies from ripping off other products’ trademarks. We both know kids like anything flashy and shiny, but that doesn’t mean we ban everything flashy and shiny does it?

Just remember this for the next 6-7 months Grandma as election campaigns start asking for your opinion. You have to let them know you don’t want to lose your therapeutic hemp products. You have to remind them that addressing imaginary or minor problems with a ban doesn’t fix anything. Holding people responsible for careless behavior that hurts others, that’s a solution.

Anyways Grandma, I can’t wait to see you again and have some of those cookies and that tasty pecan pie you make every time. It’s my favorite. Has been since I can remember you making it for me back when you said I was a big boy that didn’t need a highchair anymore. Hugs and kisses.

Te amo abuela.

Sincerely,

Jesse Williams