By Madison Wickham, Founder of Chill Country Cannabis
Wednesday March 5th, 2025
***UPDATE 3.10.25: Senate Bill 3 has advanced from the committee and is headed to the senate for a vote. Contact your legislators and tell them to VOTE NO on SB3. Scroll down and use the form on this page to find your legislators' email addresses and use the provided template.***
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (not from Texas), and the CEO of Texas Original (also not from Texas) are attempting to use the Texas legislature to shut down the legal hemp industry and protect their monopoly on cannabis in Texas.
Texas Original is the corporation that primarily controls the Texas Compassionate Use Program, known as TCUP (enforced by the DPS). Touted by our regulators as Texas’ “medical” marijuana program, in reality, TCUP is merely a means of regulator capture of the cannabis plant.
It’s not a true medical program. They operate with a handful of questionable “doctors” from platforms like texas420doctor.com, who charge you an annual fee for the right to purchase overpriced gummies from Texas Original and one other smaller licensed operator.
Texas Original is led by a guy who is not from Texas, and who has spent his entire career wielding the power of regulatory capture. The thriving Texas hemp market makes the TCUP monopoly completely useless. Under the 2018 Federal Farm Bill, Texas hemp businesses like ours can legally manufacture and sell identical products—at a fraction of the cost—with direct-to-consumer shipping. We also have a strong incentive to make the best products possible, because we are real entrepreneurs competing in the free market. They are scrambling to outlaw hemp in order to kill their competition and regain control.
Instead of adding reasonable regulations to the hemp industry to eliminate bad actors, and to keep products away from kids, they are pretending the entire industry is corrupt and needs to be shut down (the irony!).
We attended the 10+ hour Senate Committee Hearing this past Monday. Their marketing campaign for Senate Bill #3 is a lazy, bootleg version of the 1940s Reefer Madness campaigns. Reefer Madness at least had some pretty sick poster art and clever headlines.
They paraded in pain management doctors and law enforcement to warn about the DANGERS of THC (the primary psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant–both in hemp and marijuana).
Steve Dye, Chief of Police of Allen, Texas claims that "More and more THC overdoses are occurring in our county jails and hospitals." and "THC consumables are no different [than K2 and spice]." and are causing “disabilities and deaths,” despite the well-known fact that no has ever died directly from consuming THC.
Dr. Robert Marks, owner of Diagnostic Pain Center (an opioid dispensary), says he’s an “advisor to Texas Original.” and is “in support of SB3.” Of course he is–he owns a pain management clinic that prescribes opioids. THC happens to be an effective alternative to opioids for a lot of people. He’s obviously aware of this, as he also sells “medical” marijuana cards for TCUP.
Marks, testifying in a generic white doctor’s coat that looks like a cheap halloween costume, spends his testimony fumbling his way through the side effects of THC and warning of dangerous unregulated synthetic cannabinoids being sold by the hemp industry. He is intentionally conflating bad actors, who are making illegal hemp products, with legitimate companies like ours, who are making legal, lab tested, organic THC products.
The hearing lasted well into the evening hours and SB3 was ultimately "left pending," meaning the committee has chosen to neither advance nor reject the bill at this time. This is a small win, but we need maximum support from the people of Texas to ensure this bill does not advance.
If you're one of the millions of Texans who enjoy or rely on access to hemp-derived products, or if you just believe in personal freedom and competitive markets, please let your voice be heard by contacting your Texas legislators via email.
Use the form below to find the email addresses for your specific legislators. You can draft your own email or use the template that we've prepared below.
Let's kill this bill and make sure our representatives know that we DO NOT support this type of corporate-backed corruption ✊
Subject: Vote NO on SB3 – Protect Texas’ Hemp Industry and Free Markets
Dear [Legislator’s Name],
I am writing to express my strong opposition to Senate Bill 3 (SB3), which seeks to dismantle Texas’ legal hemp industry in favor of a corporate-backed monopoly. This bill is not about public safety—it’s about eliminating competition to benefit a select few.
The Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), controlled primarily by Texas Original, is a heavily restricted, anti-competitive program that fails to serve Texans in need. The thriving Texas hemp market, which operates legally under the 2018 Federal Farm Bill, provides safe, lab-tested, and affordable alternatives for consumers. Rather than banning an entire industry, reasonable regulations should be implemented to eliminate bad actors while preserving free market competition.
SB3 is being pushed by **Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Texas Original’s CEO—both of whom are not from Texas—**to tighten their grip on cannabis in our state. The recent Senate Committee Hearing was filled with misleading testimony, fear-mongering, and deliberate misinformation equating legal hemp products with synthetic and unregulated substances. The truth is:
✅ No one has ever died from THC consumption. Law enforcement claims of “THC overdoses” are misleading and inaccurate.
✅ SB3 is not about public safety—it’s about eliminating competition. Texas Original and their allies want to shut down small, independent businesses in order to regain control over the market.
✅ Texans deserve access to legal, affordable, and high-quality hemp products. The free market ensures better products and lower prices for consumers, unlike the overpriced, restricted options under TCUP.
✅ We support reasonable regulations, not prohibition. The real issue is enforcing laws against unregulated, mislabeled products—not banning an entire industry that follows federal guidelines.
I urge you to vote NO on SB3 and stand against corporate-backed corruption that limits consumer choice and economic freedom. Texans deserve an open and competitive market, not a government-sanctioned monopoly.
Please do the right thing and protect Texas’ hemp industry. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City, State, Zip]
From day one we've been committed to making products that we are genuinely proud to promote, while building a business that is 100% aligned with our personal morals and values.
Inspired by conversations about life, creativity, and a connection to something greater than ourselves, we began designing Texas-inspired artwork and dreaming up a vision for a different kind of company.
We make all of our products in-house using simple organic ingredients and clean processing. Chill Country gummies are the cleanest, tastiest, and most effective edibles you'll find anywhere in Texas, or beyond.
Designed at our studio in south Austin, we make a unique line up of Texas-inspired hats, tees, hoodies and more. Every product we make is a labor of love and is intended to capture the magic of Texas.
