The booming Texas hemp market is at risk. SB3 seeks to ban the vast majority of hemp-derived products in the Lone Star State. This comes despite recent polling suggesting the majority of Texans support legalizing cannabis. Now, one local pot company is encouraging its customers to fight the ban in an unusual way.
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Reggie & Dro is a cannabis store and consumption lounge in Stone Oak, Texas. The business sells Farm Bill-compliant THC-A flower under a members-only model. If SB3 were to take effect, the company would likely be forced to cease operations by September.
“We take all jobs, rents, spending, and taxes with us out of Texas, along with many other businesses, most of which don’t have the options we have to survive,” owner Jesse Niesen told GreenState.
To ensure its customers continue to have access to a wide variety of cannabis products, Niesen and his team are swiftly mobilizing their network the best way they know how: through the plant.
Free weed mobilizes Texans against hemp ban
Reggie & Dro is running a campaign offering free THCA flower to any member who contacts their state representatives and requests they reject SB3. The participant must take a screenshot of their call log, along with the contact number of the representative, and submit it to the company to be eligible.
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Niesen says dozens of people have already taken advantage of the opportunity, doing their civic duty and earning free weed at the same time.
SB3 is up for a floor vote in the Texas House of Representatives on May 20th. If passed, it’ll head to Governor Abbott’s desk. The Republican state leader has expressed support for the initiative.
Back in Stone Oak, Niesen is hopeful his community will not be shut out by the state. He said his team is hoping to target specific legislators with its call campaign to make the most impact.
As a veteran, Niesen believes SB3 puts the freedoms he fought to protect at risk.
“I’m righteously angry because I see freedom threatened and taken from law-abiding Texans, including my fellow vets,” Niesen concluded.
