Tag: texas

States Are Already Rebelling Against Trump’s New Hemp THC Ban

Last week, High Times broke down how Congress ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and, in the process, scheduled the recriminalization of most hemp-derived products. The deal President Donald Trump signed caps legal hemp at 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, bans synthetic or chemically converted cannabinoids and gives the industry one year before most hemp products (including drinks, gummies and vapes) are treated as Schedule I marijuana.

On paper, the ban is national and absolute. In reality, it’s already turning into a state-by-state fight over who actually controls cannabis policy.

Paper Law vs. Real-World Enforcement

Technically, cannabis has been federally illegal the whole time, yet a $32 billion marijuana industry operates in dozens of states. Now, a $28.3 billion hemp sector is being shoved into the same contradiction.

Law professor Jonathan Adler told MJBizDaily: “While marijuana is illegal for purposes of federal law, the federal government doesn’t have the resources, doesn’t have the personnel to go after individual retailers, individual buyers, let alone individual users.” If that is true for state-licensed cannabis, it is even more true for hemp seltzers in grocery stores.

In Ohio, for instance, this tension is already out in the open. Governor Mike DeWine issued an executive order to ban hemp-derived THC at the state level, but a judge put the order on hold. Now, lawmakers are talking about pulling hemp THC into the state’s cannabis regime instead of treating it as pure contraband. According to ABC-5, House Speaker Matt Huffman, who supports stricter rules, still asked: “Now, are we going to go around and start cuffing 17-year-old clerks at gas stations? No, but we’ve got to get this thing in shape.”

Texas and Kentucky Push Back

Texas now sits in direct conflict with the new federal definition. Economist Robin Goldstein writes in the Houston Chronicle that the state’s “THC hemp business” represents “a $4.5 billion industry that supports thousands of businesses, most of them small and independent.” He credits Governor Greg Abbott with taking “courageous action to save Texas hemp” by vetoing a state ban and issuing an executive order that kept intoxicating hemp products legal under HB 1325.

Under Abbott’s order and HB 1325, Goldstein notes: “THC hemp products have already been explicitly legalized under Texas law.” Now the shutdown deal makes those products illegal again at the federal level, but state law “is therefore now in conflict with U.S. federal law.” In his words, “recreational intoxicating hemp is just as legal in Texas as recreational intoxicating cannabis is in California,” and “Texas and its THC industry simply join the conflicts-with-federal law club.” His bottom line: “I see no more reason that THC hemp businesses should stop operating in Texas than that THC cannabis businesses should stop operating in California.”

In Kentucky, the governor is sending a similar signal, albeit in softer tones. When asked about the federal hemp language, Governor Andy Beshear said at a press briefing that “hemp is an important industry in Kentucky,” and that “we should have appropriate safety regulations around it, but we should make those regulations here in Kentucky —talking to the industry and making sure that we get that balance right.”

The Governor added: “I think that we can protect our kids. I think that we can do the right thing to protect all of our people while not handicapping an industry that supports a lot of people.” Meanwhile, Senator Rand Paul tried to strip the hemp ban from the bill and warned leadership it would devastate the hemp sector, while Senator Mitch McConnell, who pushed hemp legalization in 2018, led the effort to close the so-called loophole.

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Texas: ID Will Be Linked to Every Google Search! New Law Requires Age Verification

Texas SB2420, known as the App Store Accountability Act, requires app stores to verify the age of users and obtain parental consent for those under 18. This law aims to enhance protections for minors using mobile applications and is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Texas has joined a multi-state crusade to enforce digital identification in America—marketed as a way to “protect children.”

Yet privacy experts say the real goal isn’t child protection—it’s control. 

Roblox insists its new “age estimation” system improves safety, but it relies on biometric and government data—creating the foundation for permanent digital tracking. With Texas now the fifth state to join the campaign, one question remains: how long before “protecting kids” becomes the excuse to monitor everyone?

From Reclaim the Net:

Texas Sues Roblox Over Child Safety Failures, Joining Multi-State Push for Digital ID

Texas has become the latest state to take legal action against Roblox, joining a growing number of attorneys general who accuse the gaming platform of failing to protect children.

The case also renews attention on the broader push for online age verification, a move that would lead to widespread digital ID requirements.

Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit on November 6, alleging that Roblox allowed predators to exploit children while misleading families about safety protections.

We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.

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Texas Sheriff arrests vet for political meme, then sets up a ‘hotline’ to report more…

Texas is supposed to be the last place on earth where someone gets hauled off in handcuffs over a meme, right? Yet here we are… a military veteran in Hood County was just arrested for posting a satirical meme online, and the entire thing feels like a really scary, anti-American déjà vu after what happened to Douglass Mackey. The Biden regime slapped a felony on him for posting a hilarious anti-Hillary meme. Thankfully, a unanimous appeals court tossed out the conviction, but the message was clear: political humor is now a criminal offense if the wrong people get embarrassed.

And now it’s happening again. Only this time not in New York or D.C., but in deep-red Texas.

And to make this whole thing even more ridiculous, Hood County has now launched something straight out of a bad dystopian comedy: a “meme hotline” where residents can call the sheriff’s office to report each other for posting jokes online. Yes, a hotline… for memes.

Seriously, Texas, what the hell are you doing?

What’s happening in Hood County isn’t law enforcement. This is left-wing-style weaponization of political speech, and now, it’s being criminalized at the local level, and the fact that it’s happening in a conservative state should terrify everyone even more than the Mackey case did.

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Crockett: I’m Considering Senate Run — I Believe I Can ‘Expand the Electorate’

Thursday on CNN’s “The Arena,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said she was considering a Senate run because she believed she could “expand the electorate” in Texas.

Host Kasie Hunt said, “You’re thinking about running for Senate yourself.”

Crockett said, “I am absolutely thinking about running for Senate. I’m hoping to have an answer within my inner circle, probably within the next week and a half or so. But I will tell you this, I will tell you that I completely understand those that are disappointed. I will tell you that on November 4, we won in places that we weren’t supposed to win in whether we’re looking at Georgia or whether we’re looking at Mississippi, or whether we’re looking at different parts of Virginia, where now we’re going to end up having a supermajority.”

She continued, “I will also tell you that we have a poll that is currently in the field that went into the field on yesterday. I am waiting on those results. It’s the first and only poll that I’ve put out to be able to kind of understand where I really am. I don’t want to rely just solely on third party polls.”

Hunt said, “So basically you’re polling yourself to try to make a decision about what you should do.”

Crockett said, “I’m polling to determine whether or not I can expand the electorate, and I believe that I can, but if I can’t, I can tell you for sure 100% that I will not run.”

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Another Crockett Scandal: Democrat Blew Almost $75,000 of Campaign Money on High Living

Fox News has revealed that, in the second major money scandal involving far-left Democrat Jasmine Crockett, the foul-mouthed congresswoman blew almost $75,000 on high living.

The leftist from Texas spent the campaign funds doing the town in such places as Chicago, New York City, and Martha’s Vineyard, the home and vacation destination of the far-left, hate-Trump Democratic elite.

The wasted money isn’t a good look for Crockett. Last month she was accused of shenanigans with required disclosures of her massive stock portfolio.

Not that she cares, as her chronic outrageous behavior shows.

Cui Bono?

Though Crockett represents Texas’ 30th District, which includes big city Dallas, the kooky congresswoman flitted about not only high-flying Martha’s Vineyard, but also Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other big cities.

“Crockett’s filings show her campaign spending $25,748.87 since January on high-end hotels and limousine services,” Fox reported:

The hotel expenses include $4,175.01 at the Ritz-Carlton and $2,304.79 at The Luxury Collection. Other hotel expenses include $5,326.52 to the West Hollywood Edition in Los Angeles, $1,173.92 to the Times Square Edition in New York City, over $2,000 to the Cosmopolitan and Aria resort in Las Vegas and $2,703.14 to the Edgartown Inn and $3,160.93 at The Coco, both in Martha’s Vineyard.

Prices for a room at the Ritz-Carlton vary, and can reach more than $2,000 per night depending on location. But the five-star West Hollywood Edition charges $687 per night for a standard room with a king bed, Kayak says.

As for other expenses, Crocket threw away $6,292.30 on limousine services. One of those services was Chicago’s Transportation 4 U.

Reported Fox:

In its client gallery on Yelp, Transportation 4 U, which says it specializes in providing “top-tier limousine experiences tailored to your needs,” posted a picture of Crockett with the caption: “We were honored to provide transportation services for Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett during her visit to Chicago.” Crockett is pictured smiling and dressed casually in a red sweater.

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Texas AG: County Provides Legal Aid to Illegal Aliens

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Harris County to block subsidies to illegal aliens who are fighting deportation and a nonprofit to stop its voter registration of illegal aliens.

Harris County, the latest lawsuit alleges, unlawfully uses “taxpayer dollars to fund legal representation for individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States and facing federal deportation proceedings.”

Meanwhile, Jolt Initiative, Inc., a hate-Trump nonprofit, is “systematically subverting the election process and violating Texas election law by recruiting, training, and directing individuals to submit false, or otherwise unlawful, voter registration applications.” The lawsuit seeks the dissolution of the group.

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Married Congressman finally breaks silence on alleged affair with aide who set herself on fire… after he dodged the media for months

Two months after his alleged mistress doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire, Congressman Tony Gonzales finally addressed cheating accusations with his former aide for the first time.

Appearing Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, the Republican lawmaker who represents the border and San Antonio denied he had a relationship with his former regional director Regina Aviles.

‘The rumors are completely untruthful. I am generally untrusting of these outlets,’ Gonzales said to reporter.

‘Regina’s family has asked for privacy. If it was your family or any of our families, I would argue that you would want privacy as well. I don’t know exactly what happened. Nobody has contacted me. I haven’t contacted anyone. I’m waiting for a final report. I think that would make a lot of sense.’

Daily Mail was first to report that Aviles’ death has been ruled a suicide, after she doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire at her Uvalde, Texas home on September 13. 

Even though her death has been ruled a suicide by self-immolation, the medical examiner’s office in Bexar County told Daily Mail it would be a few more weeks before a final report and autopsy on Aviles’ death is available. 

Sources who spoke with the Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity said that Aviles and the married congressman became romantically involved after she joined his staff in November 2021. 

Gonzales’s spokesman didn’t engage when repeatedly offered the opportunity to deny the affair by the Daily Mail. But his office did offer a comment.

‘Regina Aviles was a kind soul who had a lasting impact on her community, which she continued to serve until her untimely death,’ a spokesman for Gonzales told the Daily Mail on October 7.

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Texas man accused of child sex crimes avoids jail in plea deal with Soros-backed prosecutor: report

A Texas man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child will avoid prosecution on nine felony counts after striking a plea deal with a George Soros-backed Travis County prosecutor, according to a report.

Austin’s ABC affiliate KVUE reported that Richard Leigh Bell, 37, was indicted on nine felony charges — including one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, six counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and two counts of indecency with a child. Those charges were dropped as part of a plea deal that allowed Bell to plead guilty to one count of injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

Under the deal, Bell was sentenced to five years of deferred probation. He must register as a sex offender and is barred from contacting the victim, her family or any minors, KVUE reported. The plea included no jail time.

Outside the courtroom on Monday, the victim’s father told KVUE he was blindsided by the decision and said prosecutors Efrain De La Fuente and Lorraine Garcia failed to include him in discussions about the plea.

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Texas Officials Post Hemp Law ‘Checklist’ List To Help Businesses Comply With State Cannabis Rules

Even as Congress is taking steps to reinstitute a federal ban on hemp products containing THC, Texas officials are distributing a new hemp law “checklist” list to help businesses comply with recently enacted state cannabis rules—including age-gating to prevent the sale of intoxicating cannabinoid products to youth.

In addition to holding a license or registration with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), hemp businesses must follow a series of new regulatory policies if they sell or deliver consumable hemp products (CHPs), the flyer says.

For each sale or delivery, employees of licensed hemp businesses must inspect a customer’s ID to determine if they’re at least 21 years old and the identification is not expired.

“Failure to comply with these requirements is a violation of state law and regulations,” the notice says, adding that consumable hemp products include CBD and THC oils, gummies and infused food or drink edibles.

“A CHP is a product processed or manufactured for consumption that contains hemp, including food, a drug, a device and a cosmetic,” the department said. “It does not include any consumable hemp product containing a hemp seed, or hemp seed-derived ingredient used in a manner generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”

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Hood County Sheriff Arrests Man for Social Media Posts

The Hood County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kolton Krottinger, a Navy veteran and local Granbury activist, for a social media post.

According to a criminal complaint, Krottinger had posted on social media under the guise of someone else. Residents have suggested that the October 2 post—showing another local activist appearing to support then-Granbury school board candidate Monica Brown—is the one in question.

Hood County Constable John Shirley said he thought the post was a joke, and that the individual the post impersonated would never have supported Brown “because she very openly, loudly, and publicly hates her.”

Krottinger was charged on November 5 with “online impersonation” in the third degree. His lawyer, Rob Christian, said he had been arrested for “posting a meme.” In his 25 years as a district attorney and criminal defense attorney, Christian told the Dallas Express he had “never seen anyone get arrested for engaging in political speech.”

Nate Criswell, former Hood County GOP chair, believes the arrest is politically motivated. “This charge is based on a satirical post where he humorously photoshopped a political rival’s image, making it appear as though she supported Monica Brown for school board,” he wrote in a petition he started for law enforcement to drop the charges. “Importantly, no actual account was created, making the charge baseless and unfair. Additionally, other elements of the statute were not met.”

Constable Shirley, who serves criminal and civil papers in the county’s 2nd precinct, agreed that something about the arrest seems wrong. “This kind of stuff really smells of authoritarianism.”

Texas Scorecard obtained a copy of the conditions of Krottinger’s $10,000 bond. He cannot access social media, nor can he have any contact with the other activist. Criswell said social media is where Kolton makes his livelihood and called the social media ban “egregious.”

Brandon Hall, who represents Granbury and others in District 11 on the State Board of Education, expressed alarm.

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