Texas hemp: What will Vikki Goodwin as Lt. Governor do?

DALLAS - It's a new chapter in Texas politics and a possible new chapter for the state's hemp industry as well.

The backstory:

Democratic candidates swept most of the major races across the country and the state of Texas.

Included in that sweep was the race for Texas Lieutenant Governor, as Democratic State Rep. Vikki Goodwin defeated incumbent Dan Patrick, ending his time in a seat he was elected to in 2014. Initial precinct counts show Goodwin received 52 percent of the vote, while Patrick received 46 percent.

Beyond a change in party control, the election result could lead to shifts in one of the state’s most popular industries, hemp.

What they're saying:

" I think we were all holding our breath last night of just like, ‘what's going to happen?’ Just knowing what we've dealt with, specifically with Dan Patrick over these past sessions," said Shayda Torabi, as she stood inside of Restart CBD + THC. Her company was one of the first licensed retail hemp operations, earning its Texas license in 2019, a year after the federal government legalized hemp. Like thousands of others across Texas, Torabi’s stores have been directly impacted by an increasing number of regulations and bans put in place by the state, first kickstarted by the efforts of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.

"Would you buy anything off the shelf that you didn't know what was in it, that could change your whole mental state for the rest of your life? Would you want that? Anybody want this bag? I don't think you want it. You wouldn't dare buy it. You wouldn't let your children or your grandchildren buy it," said Dan Patrick at a presser in 2025, where he tossed a hemp derived product towards the media.

Dig deeper:

In 2025’s legislative session, Dan Patrick led the charge to have all hemp products containing THC in Texas banned due to safety and age concerns. 

Patrick's bill would ultimately be vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott, who instead ordered the Department of State Health Services to form new rules around hemp and its products. That would lead to higher licensing fees, restrictions on marketing, and the ban of smokeable products such as THCA flower. 

The industry would be further impacted when a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court allowed DSHS to reclassify Delta-8 THC and Delta-10 THC as controlled substances.

"Not being able to sell a huge category of those products has been super devastating to business," says Torabi, estimating that she was forced to take about 50-60% of products off her shelves when the bans went into place. But the election of Goodwin into one of the state's most powerful roles could be the beginning of a new chapter for the industry. 

"We need to make it so that we go back to where we were prior to DSHS implementing those new rules and then we’ll address it through legislation," said Goodwin at a recent presser discussing the state’s regulation over the industry.

As a part of her campaign, Goodwin capitalized off Dan Patrick’s anti-THC sentiment. She often met with hemp store owners and retailers, promising to bring forward legislation that would help to further support and regulate the industry. Serving as the Lieutenant Governor, Goodwin will preside over the State Senate and will have a large say in what bills are presented and gain traction. 

"There's a spirit of hopefulness that, hey, we now actually have a chance to work with someone in seat of power," says Torabi. "Her being in that position is ultimately really good for us to have our message and our issue heard. That's all we wanted. We just want to be recognized, we want to be seen as a legit industry."

What's next:

But the industry isn’t in the clear yet just yet and has another hurdle to overcome in less than two months. A looming federal ban of THC is set to go into effect December 11th, which effectively bans hemp products containing more than 0.4 milligrams (mg) of THC per package, which could wipe out hemp derived products that have been able to survive such as beverages and gummies.

"Consumers all across the United States of America should be prepared that the product, specifically in the THC and "intoxicating" hemp category, would be leaving shelves," says Torabi.

Even with the federal ban standing in their way, Torabi holds on to hope that with Goodwin as Lieutenant Governor, meaningful change can be achieved for the industry, although it won’t happen overnight.

"The ban hits in December. Goodwin and et al don't take effect until January. Texas' session kicks off in January. The session doesn't close until the end of summer. Those bills wouldn't go into effect until September. So, it's not like, hey, she's coming in and you're snapping your fingers and you having access to these products. I think that we're going to actually have conversations that move things forward and allow Texans to have access to these products."

FOX 7 reached out to Goodwin’s campaign and office for more on how she plans to address hemp regulation but have yet to hear back.

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