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The Texas Legislature is still six months away from convening for its next regular session, but already state Republicans are setting up a rematch against their favorite psychoactive foe.
The Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services gathered last week for a hearing on THC, and some lawmakers confirmed that they will once again attempt to ban the substance during the 90th legislative session. Bill filing opens in early November.
Republicans passed a sweeping THC ban last summer, and the issue was championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who warned of the dangers of the unregulated industry. (A highlight of the campaign was a press conference Patrick hosted in which he tossed a bag of THC-infused chips at a reporter and demanded, “Does anyone want this bag?!”) At the last minute, though, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the bill and called for a special session aimed at regulation, not an all-out ban. At the time, Abbott claimed that the outright ban would likely face constitutional challenges.
While THC regulation was on the special session agenda, the 30-day work period was largely dedicated to responding to the Hill Country flooding that occurred on July 4, 2025, just a few weeks after the THC bill was spiked.
Now, lawmakers are ready to try again.
“There’s nothing good in this stuff,” said Sen. Charles Perry during the Tuesday hearing. “I’m at my breaking point from a conscience level. I don’t know as a society how we can allow this stuff to perpetuate itself in the name of profit.”
Perry authored Senate Bill 3, the ban Abbott struck down, and said he plans to introduce similar legislation for consideration in 2027.
The committee meeting focused on the mental health effects of THC products and featured invited testimony from law enforcement officials, drug policy experts, and medical professionals. According to data presented to the committee, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services has recorded more than 10,500 calls related to THC exposure between January 2021 and May 2026, and seven of those cases resulted in death. At least 630 of the calls involved life-threatening symptoms or resulted in permanent disability or disfigurement.
“THC poisoning can persist for hours, with a growing number of cases requiring ICU admission,” said Dr. Dominic Lucia, the chief medical officer at Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center.
Lucia told the Senators that there has been a rise in the number of young people presenting severe symptoms related to THC consumption, including adverse “neurologic and respiratory function” effects and “increased susceptibility to mental health conditions.” Lucia also warned that THC use in minors has been shown in some cases to correlate with substance abuse issues in later life.
Allen Police Chief Steve Dye, who has led crackdowns on psychoactive drugs across North Texas and last year seized 75,000 pounds of THC products from a Dallas warehouse in a single raid, said that attempts at regulation have not stopped producers from creating overly potent products.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has released guidance for THC consumable products, including increased licensing fees, raising the purchasing age to 21 and new testing requirements that call for products to remain under 0.3% THC potency. Dye said police investigations commonly find products well above that limit and warned that limited enforcement has led many businesses to ignore the new rules.
“THC consumable products are intoxicating, and yet another issue dropped on the doorstep of law enforcement to handle,” said Dye.
