Texas governor blocks THC ban, keeping gummies and vapes legal

THC-infused gummies and vape pens will stay legal in Texas—at least for now.

Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill on Sunday that would have banned the sale and use of THC consumables across the state, The Associated Press reported.

These products contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for a marijuana high. The proposed law would have made it a misdemeanor to own, make or sell THC products.

Abbott, a Republican, waited until the final deadline to reject the bill, AP said.

Supporters said it was meant to close a legal loophole created in 2018 when a federal law allowed states to regulate hemp, a plant that can be processed to create THC. That paved the way for the sale of THC-infused goods, even in states where marijuana remains illegal.

Texas has some of the strictest marijuana laws in the country. Recreational use is banned, and the medical marijuana program is limited.

Lawmakers who supported the ban say the hemp-derived products can be unsafe due to a lack of federal oversight in how they’re made. Texas’s proposed law would have been one of the nation’s most restrictive.

Other states, like California, have passed rules limiting how strong the products can be and setting age limits for buying them.

Critics of the Texas bill said many people who don’t qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program use THC consumables for relief.

They also argue that banning the products could hurt the thousands of jobs and millions in revenue the industry brings each year, the AP added in its report.

Texas is not the only state to reconsider limits on THC consumables. In 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, vetoed a similar bill that would have restricted THC products, saying it would hurt small businesses.

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