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Kaab Malik, owner of iVape ATX, discusses THC laws while at his shop on Guadalupe Street in Austin, Monday, March 30, 2026. New Texas hemp rules effectively banning the sale of smokable hemp and extracts starts on March 31. \u201cThis will destroy my business,\u201d Malik said.<\/p>\n
Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
A few shelves inside iVape ATX on Guadalupe Street sit half-empty \u2014 an early sign of sweeping new Texas hemp rules<\/a> set to take effect Tuesday.<\/p>\n Owner\u00a0Kaab Malik moves through the store, straightening what is left: rows of cartridges, scattered gummies and glass pieces spaced farther apart. Where inventory once filled every inch, there are now empty pockets that feel less like disorganization and more like a business bracing for change.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Kaab Malik, owner of iVape ATX, holds the remainder of a jar of smokeable hemp while at his shop on Guadalupe Street in Austin, Monday, March 30, 2026. New Texas hemp rules effectively banning the sale of smokable hemp and extracts starts on March 31. \u201cThis will destroy my business,\u201d Malik said.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman THCa flower, a form of smokeable hemp, is seen for sale at The Glassmith in Austin, Monday, March 30, 2026. New Texas hemp rules effectively banning the sale of smokable hemp and extracts starts March 31.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman A customer visits The Glassmith in West Campus in Austin, Monday, March 30, 2026. New Texas hemp rules effectively banning the sale of smokable hemp and extracts starts March 31.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman Merchandise with a hemp leaf is seen for sale at The Glassmith in West Campus in Austin, Monday, March 30, 2026. New Texas hemp rules effectively banning the sale of smokable hemp and extracts starts March 31.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n New statewide hemp regulations<\/a> set to take effect Tuesday are reshaping Austin\u2019s hemp retail scene, forcing shops to clear out products, rethink inventory and prepare for steep licensing fees. For Austin shop owners, the changes aren\u2019t theoretical \u2014 they\u2019re already cutting into inventory, staffing and sales.<\/p>\n The changes could cost Austin dozens of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue, while disrupting customers who rely on hemp products for sleep, anxiety and pain relief.<\/p>\n At\u00a0iVape ATX, the impact feels immediate.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Malik said the store has already had to cut two employees. Now it is just him and one other worker.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sucks because you have to spend money to buy all the stuff,\u201d\u00a0Malik said. \u201cYou have to go out there and find other products that are compliant. I still have to make rent. I still have to pay my employees.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, he said, every restock feels like a gamble.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Kaab Malik, owner of iVape ATX, reaches for a strain of smokeable hemp at his shop on Guadalupe Street in Austin, Monday, March 30, 2026. New Texas hemp rules effectively banning the sale of smokable hemp and extracts starts on March 31. \u201cThis will destroy my business,\u201d Malik said.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Under new Texas Department of State Health Services regulations<\/a>, hemp products must remain below 0.3% total THC, including compounds that become intoxicating when heated.<\/p>\n The new rules tighten THC limits, specifically limiting the THC-A compound found in hemp flower \u2014 a shift that will effectively wipe out most\u00a0smokeable hemp products. Hemp flower, pre-rolled joints and delta-9 products \u2014 items that make up a large portion of many shops\u2019 inventory \u2014 will largely disappear from shelves.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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