Hemp industry possibility after midterm elections

A new chapter in Texas politics. The people of Texas have spoken and we made history tonight. And a possible new chapter for the state's hemp industry. Democrat Vicki Goodwin unseating longtime incumbent Dan Patrick as the state's lieutenant governor. I mean, I think we were all holding our breath last night. I was just like, what's going to happen? Just knowing what we've dealt with, specifically with Dan Patrick over these past sessions. For Shada Torabi, Tuesday's results were a welcome sight. Her business, Restart CBD and THC, has been in the hemp industry since 2018, but has come under pressure by Lieutenant 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? Okay. You want it? I don't think you want it. You wouldn't dare buy it. You wouldn't let your children or your grandchildren buy it. Patrick led the charge to have all consumable THC products banned during the 2025 legislative session. But his bill was vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott, who instead ordered the Department of State Health Services to form new rules around hemp products. That led to the loss of smokable flour and eventually other popular products like Delta-8. Not being able to sell a huge category of those products has been super devastating to business. We need to make it so that we go back to where we were prior to the Department of State Health Services implementing those new rules, and then we'll address it through legislation. Making it a large part of her campaign, Vicki Goodwin spent much of her time meeting with hemp shop owners, promising to back legislation that would help to support and regulate the industry. With her new role as lieutenant governor, she'll now have a large say in what bills will be presented in the next session. I think there's like a spirit of hopefulness that, hey, we now actually have a chance to work with someone in a seat of power, and her being in that position is ultimately really good for us to have our message and our issue heard. But the industry isn't in the clear yet. A looming federal ban of hemp-derived THC products starting December 11th could wipe out a large portion of products that are still left in Texas. Consumers all across the United States of America should be prepared that the products, specifically in the THC and quote-unquote intoxicating hemp category, would be leaving shelves.