AUSTIN, Texas — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is leading the effort for a bill in the next legislative session that would ban all forms of THC in Texas.

Patrick announced the initiative in a statement on Wednesday, saying that THC products sold in the state contain “three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer.”

The initiative comes after lawmakers in 2019 passed a bipartisan bill allowing the sale of consumable hemp products in Texas, just one year after hemp was legalized nationwide through the 2018 Farm Bill.

Since then, thousands of dispensaries have sprung up across the state. According to a report from the Texas Tribune, the number of active retail registrations for consumable hemp in Texas jumped from 1,948 in 2020 to 7,700 in early 2024.

Patrick claims these retailers have sold “life-threatening” and unregulated forms of THC and have targeted children. 

By law, consumable hemp products cannot contain more than 0.3% THC, which comes in forms such as delta-8, delta-9 and THCA.

Consumable hemp products include oils, gummies, food and drinks, over-the-counter drugs and topical lotions and cosmetics, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

“We are not going to allow these retailers to circumvent the law and put Texans’ lives in danger. This bill will have broad bipartisan support in the Senate, and I trust the House will also see the danger of these products and pass this bill with overwhelming support so it can become law immediately,” Patrick said.

Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, would carry SB3, according to Patrick. Perry previously carried the 2019 bill on agricultural hemp.