New Texas regulations that recently went into effect limiting THC in hemp products are forcing some El Paso smoke shops to pull most of their inventory, threatening businesses that have operated for years under looser rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n
David Ramirez, owner of Cannabis World and member of the Texas Hemp Business Council, said he supports tighter oversight \u2014 including restrictions on selling to minors.<\/p>\n
But now he\u2019s worried the new regulations imposed by the state starting March 31 could hobble his business.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it destroys about 90% of our business,\u201d Ramirez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/LT-CANNABIS-WORLD-08.jpg\")
David Ramirez, owner of Cannabis World in El Paso, says he supports tighter oversight on hemp products \u2014 including restrictions on selling to minors \u2014 but worries new state regulations could hobble his business. (Luis Torres \/ El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n
Ramirez\u2019s shop has been open six years but now many of its products are banned because they contain too much tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new state regulations limit THC to 0.3% in consumable hemp products and prohibit the sale of the flower, or the raw bud form of the plant \u2014\u00a0two changes that retailers say eliminate many of their most popular items. In New Mexico, where recreational marijuana is legal, products often contain 27% THC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen probably, in El Paso alone, I\u2019ve seen like 10, 20 different businesses, unfortunately, close,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n
Recreational marijuana is still illegal in Texas, but within the past eight years, more than 9,100 hemp shops have registered with the state, employing more than 53,000 workers.<\/p>\n
Some Texas lawmakers have spent years trying to regulate the explosion of hemp shops that have operated under a legal loophole for low-THC products, with those who backed restrictions arguing intoxicating hemp products were getting into the hands of children.<\/p>\n
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Gov. Greg Abbott<\/p>\n
\u201cTexas will not wait when it comes to protecting children and families,\u201d Gov. Greg Abbott said in a September news release after he issued an executive order directing state agencies to tighten hemp regulations. \u201cMy executive order makes sure that kids are kept safe and parents have peace of mind now, and that consumers know the products they purchase are tested and labeled responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from banning the sale of intoxicating smokable hemp products such as flower and pre-rolls, the new regulations from the Texas Department of State Health Services impose stricter packaging, labeling, testing and recordkeeping standards on consumable hemp-derived THC products, raise licensing fees and set the purchase age at 21.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, said he was for some regulation of hemp products, but believes, \u201cshutting everything down isn\u2019t the answer either.\u201d<\/p>\n
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State Sen. C\u00e9sar Blanco<\/p>\n
He opposed the products being unregulated and sold to minors, and how THC products were \u201cbeing sold like candy or drinks, ending up in the hands of kids,\u201d he said, adding families were \u201cright to be concerned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, this comes down to balance,\u201d Blanco said. \u201cWe have a responsibility to protect kids while making sure people who need relief aren\u2019t left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the new regulations are a stiff increase in licensing fees for shops \u2013 jumping from $150 to $5,000 annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jose Mendoza, owner of Buena Vida Wellness, said the new regulations will make doing business in Texas practically impossible. He previously sold a range of products including drinks, edibles, oils and gummies. While some of those products can be sold in Texas, most now exceed the state\u2019s THC limits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I have to pay a mortgage, I have to pay bills. I have to pay a long-term debt. It\u2019s just been hard,\u201d Mendoza said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He closed his storefront at the Shoppes at Solana. Now he said he will probably move his operation to New Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not giving up,\u201d Mendoza said.<\/p>\n
Industry representatives say the new state regulations could not only cause economic disaster for many shops, but could also impact customers who use the products for stress, nausea, PTSD and pain management or as sleeping aids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ron Zlomke, an El Paso military veteran, said he doesn\u2019t use hemp products but knows many fellow veterans who do to help them with PTSD and pain relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to affect them quite a bit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While he wanted to see hemp products regulated so that users can know what\u2019s in the product, the new restrictions may put retailers out of business and push users to New Mexico, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are just gonna jump across the border and buy it and bring it back. So we\u2019re taking our business into New Mexico instead of keeping it right here in our great city of El Paso and the state of Texas,\u201d Zlomke said.<\/p>\n
Mitch Fuller, the national and state legislative chairman of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said veterans will be losing access to affordable products that help them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe defended the freedom and liberty of this country, and we fought for freedom on foreign soil. So it\u2019s ridiculous to think that we\u2019re not going to have the freedom to choose what to put in our own bodies responsibly,\u201d Fuller said.<\/p>\n
Texas leaders should respect personal freedoms, he said, adding. \u201cDon\u2019t take this away from us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramirez said his shop Cannabis World will not be closing, but he worries about downsizing. He said he has worked hard to \u201cdo things the right way,\u201d and serve his adult customers, who he said includes military, construction workers, nurses, EMTs, \u201ca little bit of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it\u2019s people just trying to relax,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n
Now he said Cannabis World will take steps to abide by all regulations, but \u201cit\u2019s just a little bit of nerve racking overall.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he hopes the state will ease up on some of the regulations and give shops some room to operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething more reasonable where everybody\u2019s safe, not just kids, right? Consumers are safe, but at the same time, we\u2019re able to do business,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n
Michelle James Thorpe, a senior journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin, is a contributing writer for El Paso Matters as part of a capstone course this semester.<\/p>\n
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