It’s official: Senate Bill 3 has passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is now heading to the governor’s desk. With overwhelming support in the Senate and a final nod from the House, the countdown has started.
Nearly all THC products currently sold in Texas will be banned this year. That includes edibles, vapes, drinks, tinctures, THCA flower, even if they were hemp-derived and compliant under current law. The only exceptions are non-intoxicating cannabinoids like CBD and CBG, which will remain legal but under stricter rules.
For years, Texas supported a legal hemp marketplace that created jobs, helped customers, and operated fully in the open. Now, that entire framework is being dismantled in just a few months. This massive decision is a full-scale reset of what cannabis access looks like in our state.
And while there are already legal efforts forming to challenge SB3, the most important thing to know is this: plan as if the law will take effect. Because, unless something unexpected happens in court, the deadline is locked in.
Blog Summary:
The impact of SB3 goes deeper than headlines suggest. The products are only part of the story. In this post, we’ll walk you through:
- What’s already changing behind the scenes
- The types of products disappearing
- How dispensaries like ours are adapting
- What that means for shelf space and pricing
- The legal effort to push back
- What you can still do to prepare
Table of Contents:
- When Does SB3 Go Into Effect?
- What SB3 Actually Changes
- How Fast This Will Affect What’s on the Shelf
- What Dispensaries Are Dealing With Behind the Counter
- Can the Courts Still Stop It?
- How to Prepare Now
- We’re Still Here for You
When Does SB3 Go Into Effect?
The new law is expected to take effect on September 1, 2025. Since SB3 has passed both the House and Senate, the only step left is the governor’s signature. If signed -and at this point, there’s no strong reason to believe it won’t be- the law will go into effect in 3 months and a few days from now. That gives us and you just a few months to adjust.
Once active, the changes won’t roll out gradually. They’ll hit all at once. Distributors will pull inventory. Brands will pause Texas shipments. Dispensaries will be forced to restructure or remove large sections of their catalog. Most of that will happen before September, not after.
If you use hemp-derived THC products or rely on specific cannabinoids, don’t wait until the last minute to ask questions or look for alternatives. What’s available now may not be around by the time the law is officially in place.
What SB3 Actually Changes
By now, you’ve heard from us and many others that only CBD and CBG will remain legal under SB3. What’s more important is everything that won’t.
In our earlier blog about SB3, we broke down what this bill could do if it passed. Now that it has, we can move past speculation. Sadly, the list isn’t theoretical anymore. Now, it’s an active policy. And it reaches far beyond a few fringe products.
Here’s what SB3 bans once it takes effect:
- All THC-containing hemp products.
- This includes Delta 8 THC, Delta 9 THC, Delta 10 THC, THCA, HHC, and other minor cannabinoids.
- THCA flower, even in its raw, non-psychoactive form.
- Gummies, drinks, vapes, tinctures, capsules, and other consumables made with anything other than CBD or CBG.
- Smokable hemp, which remains banned and is now reaffirmed under this law.
- Shipping or delivery of consumable hemp products. Even if the product is sealed, tested, and compliant.
- Sales to anyone under 21.
- Sales within 1,000 feet of schools.
What’s left comes with new compliance hurdles: lab reports, packaging rules, label restrictions, and more oversight. Technically still legal, yes. But it’s not the same access, not the same variety, and not the same flexibility.
How Fast This Will Affect What’s on the Shelf
Even though the law isn’t active yet, the effects have already started to show. Some distributors have stopped accepting orders from Texas entirely. Others are cutting back quietly, scaling down supply, ending certain SKUs, or pausing shipments on anything that could fall into a gray area.
You might notice categories thinning out. Fewer gummies. Limited vape options. Brands you know are missing from the lineup. In most cases, these are early exits, not temporary gaps.
Most of this won’t happen on September 1. It’ll happen before. Behind the scenes, everyone is trying to move inventory, adjust strategy, or exit quietly before penalties kick in. We’re already preparing for that shift, and we’ll keep you informed every step of the way. But if there’s something you rely on, or something you’ve been meaning to try, now’s the time to talk to us. Waiting until August could mean waiting too long.
What Dispensaries Are Dealing With Behind the Counter
For customers, the changes might look like fewer options. For us, it’s a lot more than that.
SB3 introduces a new set of costs and risks that most small retailers were never built to absorb. Just registering a retail location will come with a proposed $20,000 annual fee. If you manufacture or formulate in-house, add another $10,000 per location on top of that. These are recurring and non-optional adjustments.
Beyond that, the state will now have full authority to conduct unannounced inspections and demand full access to records at any time. That means more admin, more compliance checks, and more legal exposure. Even for businesses that have been doing things right from day one, this is a stressful situation.
Because of these, the cost of selling legal products will go up for many businesses. And for the shops that do stay open, that reality will shape everything from what they stock to how they price it.
We’re adjusting, like everyone else, but it’s important to understand that what’s happening behind the scenes isn’t just red tape. As a matter of fact, it’s what decides what makes it to the shelf and what doesn’t.
Can the Courts Still Stop It?
Legal challenges are forming at this very moment, it’s not just talk.
Hometown Hero, a brand we all know and love, has publicly committed to filing a lawsuit against SB3. They’ve been one of the most vocal opponents of the bill since the start, and they’re now working with the Texas Hemp Business Council to fund a formal legal challenge. Their goal is to push for a court injunction, something that, if granted, could temporarily block the law from going into effect while the case is heard.
But as of now, nothing’s been filed yet. There’s no injunction in place, no timeline confirmed, and no clear path that guarantees this gets delayed.
Could the courts intervene? Yes. Will they do it before September? We don’t know.
That’s why we’re not operating on hope. We’re preparing for the law to take effect as written, and we recommend you do the same. If something shifts, if a ruling comes down, or the timeline changes, we’ll be direct with you about what it means. But until then, this is the version of reality we’re working with.
How to Prepare Now
With the timeline as it stands, you still have time to plan. Not as much as it might feel like, and definitely not as much as we would like to. Here’s what we recommend:
Talk to us: If there’s something you use regularly (a specific product, brand, or format) ask us about its status. We’ll tell you if it’s staying, going, or getting replaced under the new rules.
Don’t wait to stock up: We are not trying to generate panic-buying. We are just being realistic. If you use certain products regularly and want to carry yourself through the transition, it makes sense to plan ahead.
Pay attention to changes in inventory: If something disappears, that doesn’t always mean it’ll be back next week. Some products are leaving quietly and won’t be restocked, even before the law kicks in.
Keep following updates: We’ll continue posting updates as we get more clarity from the state, the courts, and the industry. Things might still shift, and we’ll try to tell you what matters when it matters.
This is one of those moments where a little foresight goes a long way. We’re here to help you navigate it, and we’ll stay transparent the whole way through.
We’ve said this before, and we still believe it. Just because the bill passed doesn’t mean the conversation ends here. SB3 might reshape the legal map, but it doesn’t erase the people this industry was built for. Customers, patients, small business owners, veterans, farmers. This law affects real lives, not just product lines. There’s power in staying visible, informed, and connected. When we keep showing up, we make it harder for these decisions to happen quietly next time.
We’re Still Here for You
This isn’t the kind of update we ever wanted to write. But here we are. And we’re not going anywhere. Even if we’re limited in what we can stock, we’re not limited in what we can say. Neither are you.
Our team is already adjusting to the new reality. We’re updating our shelves, tightening compliance, and having the hard conversations. All so we can keep serving our community legally, transparently, and without compromise.
If you have questions about a product, want to understand what’s still available, or just need a clear explanation without the noise, come talk to us. In-store, online, wherever you’re comfortable. We want to believe our work goes beyond simple dispensary services. And this moment proves why that matters.
