Texas Governor Orders Increased Enforcement Against Hemp Product Violations

The governor of Texas is calling on the state Department of Public Safety
(DPS) to escalate enforcement against smoke shops that are violating laws
related to the sale of intoxicating hemp products, including a recently
enacted emergency rule barring people under 21 from purchasing cannabis.

In a directive issued on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered the Criminal
Investigations Division (CID) of DPS to take a series of steps to ensure
industry compliance with state hemp laws, including “targeted operations”
to identify and inspect smoke and vape shops suspected of running afoul of
the rules.

DPS CID agents would then be required to use information from those
inspections to conduct “undercover operations to identify unlawful
activity” and, when warranted, initiate criminal proceedings.

The public safety department’s crime lab will test products from shops
under investigation to determine whether they meet the legal definition of
hemp, which is cannabis containing no more than 0.3 percent THC by dry
weight.

“DPS will leverage all federal and local law enforcement partnerships to
further these investigations,” the governor’s office said in a press
release.

Yesterday, Governor @GregAbbott_TX directed @TxDPS to strengthen
enforcement efforts surrounding vape and smoke shops across Texas.

Texas will continue to safeguard our children from hemp products while
protecting the liberty of adults.

More:https://t.co/KK5bGGfPon pic.twitter.com/tiCqUtKov2

— Governor Abbott Press Office (@GovAbbottPress) October 8, 2025

“Texas will protect children from dangerous hemp products,” Abbott said.
“Today, I directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to increase
surveillance and enforcement of any vape and smoke shop violating Texas
law. Texas will prioritize protecting our children.”

This comes days after Texas officials adopted a set of emergency rules
meant to prevent the sale of intoxicating hemp products to people under 21.

After similar restrictions were implemented by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission (TABC) late last month, the state Department of State Health
Services (DSHS) announced last week that they’ve moved forward with
policies changes that comply with the governor’s recent executive order on
hemp.


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The executive order was issued following unsuccessful efforts in the
legislature to impose an outright ban on hemp products with any
quantifiable amount of THC.

Meanwhile this month, the head of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA)
pushed back against a GOP senator’s “incorrect assertions” about the
state’s regulatory compliance with federal hemp laws. But he also signaled
that changes may be coming to measure “total THC” to determine the legality
of hemp products in a way that some stakeholders worry could negatively
impact the industry.

Separately, a recent survey from a GOP pollster affiliated with President
Donald Trump found that Texas Democratic and Republican voters are unified
in their opposition to the hemp ban proposal.

*Image element courtesy of AnonMoos.*

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Violations appeared first on Marijuana Moment.