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Tag: Texas

  • Momentum Urging Texas Governor to Veto Hemp Ban Grows

    Momentum Urging Texas Governor to Veto Hemp Ban Grows

    In late May, the Texas Legislature sent Senate Bill 3 to Gov. Greg Abbott for signature, a bill that aims to eliminate the manufacture, delivery, and possession of any consumable hemp product containing THC or other psychoactive cannabinoids. Since then, a grassroots movement of small business owners, farmers, and citizens has been calling on the Governor to veto it.

    Two weeks ago, the Texas Hemp Business Council (THBC) and advocates delivered 5,000 handwritten letters and more than 118,000 petition signatures to the Governor’s office, and today (June 19), the THBC announced that its petition is up to 147,979 signatures.

    “There have been well over 200,000 Texans who have voiced their opposition to SB 3 via email, letter, petition, social media, and text,” said Mark Bordas, executive director of the THBC. “It didn’t work for alcohol in the 1920s, and it won’t work for hemp in 2025.”

    The THBC said the legislation will eliminate $4.3 billion in annual revenue and 53,000 jobs from the state, and also flood Texas with unregulated, unsafe products. A poll conducted by Baselice & Associates in March found that 68% of Texans support legal, regulated THC hemp products.

  • IQOS System Commercially Available in Texas

    IQOS System Commercially Available in Texas

    Today, PMI U.S. announced its FDA-authorized IQOS system is now commercially available to residents in the Greater Austin, Texas, area online at www.IQOS.com/us, at select pop-up stores, and other 21+ venues. IQOS is available in more than 70 markets globally since launching in Japan 10 years ago. The launch in Texas marks the first in a series of introductions in markets across the U.S.

    “We’ve seen the impact that a diverse range of smoke-free alternatives—like IQOS and ZYN—can have in helping adults 21+ move away from cigarettes,” said Stacey Kennedy, PMI U.S. CEO. ”We are committed to raising awareness and educating both consumers and public health leaders about the progress being made in harm reduction with our smoke-free products.”

    The news that Austinite’s can now purchase IQOS onlinefollows the March announcement that a permanent IQOS store opened downtown. Since October 2024, more than 5,000 Austin residents signed up to “Be the First” to experience IQOS.

  • PMI Launches IQOS in Texas

    PMI Launches IQOS in Texas

    Philip Morris International began selling its IQOS heated tobacco device in Austin, Texas, today (March 27), an executive told Reuters, kicking off efforts to build a market for the world’s top-selling heated tobacco device in the United States.

    PMI said that after a successful pilot program, it was offering IQOS to smoking-age Austin residents and would host demonstrations and guided trials for adults to showcase the product. The device is being offered for $60 with the accompanying tobacco sticks available for $8, said Francisca Rahardja, vice president and chief marketing officer of inhalables at PMI U.S.

    Rahardja said PMI was offering IQOS at a lower price versus some other markets in part to reflect the fact it was trying to build up appetite among new consumers. PMI hopes to capture a 10% share of U.S. tobacco and heated tobacco unit volume by 2030 and build a substantial base of new users in the world’s top market for smoking alternatives.

    PMI previously said it would launch IQOS in four cities in two U.S. states, but so far only the Austin launch has been announced. It is pursuing a limited U.S. roll-out of an older version of the IQOS device while waiting for authorization from the FDA to sell the latest iteration, dubbed ILUMA, in the country.

  • Texas: Expanded Medical Marijuana Bill Opens Door for Vape

    Texas: Expanded Medical Marijuana Bill Opens Door for Vape

    Medical cannabis grower Texas Original today announced its support of Texas Senate Bill 1505 which would improve patient access to medical cannabis. In particular, it would allow the use of aerosol and vapor as a means of administering low-level THC cannabis when medically necessary, saying “these medical products offer immediate relief, which is critical for patients with episodic conditions such as PTSD.”

    The bill, which was heard by the Senate Committee on State Affairs on March 3, proposes amendments to the Texas Compassionate Use Program (CUP).

    “Senate Bill 1505 proposes crucial improvements to the Compassionate Use Program that will benefit patients throughout the state,” said Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original. “We are grateful to Senator Charles Perry for his meaningful amendments. These changes will make the program more accessible and bring relief to the patients who rely on it for their medical care.”

    The new bill would also allow for satellite locations where medicine can be stored, improving patient access and reducing medicine costs, and aligning dosing with other prescription medications by capping THC by milligrams instead of by weight.

  • Chinese E-Cig Maker Wants Case Against Moved to Federal Court

    Chinese E-Cig Maker Wants Case Against Moved to Federal Court

    A Chinese e-cigarette maker has removed to federal court a suit alleging that the battery in one of its products exploded just days before the trial was set to start in Texas state court, according to Mike Curley, writing for Law360. The removal was filed on Feb. 21 with the trial slated to begin Feb. 24.

    Shenzhen IVPS Technology Co. Ltd. filed a notice of removal for the case filed by Michael Herrera, telling the court that it believed Herrera was not intending to present evidence against the Texas-based retail co-defendants named in the suit and therefore there was diversity jurisdiction warranting removal.

    “When a defendant removes the case after a jury has been sworn in, that kind of tells you everything you need to know,” said William R. Ogden of Farrar & Ball LLP, who represents Herrera. “They were scrambling.”

    In the case, initially filed in October 2023, Herrera said he was using an electronic cigarette made by Shenzhen and distributed by TheSY LLC, and included with the purchase a Sony lithium-ion battery bought from PDK Smoke ‘N Vape LLC and imported by Toro Imports. While Herrera was using the device, he said, it exploded and caused severe burns to his eye and face. TheSY has since been dismissed from the suit.

    In its notice of removal, Curley wrote, “Shenzhen said based on Herrera’s trial witness list and other factors, ‘it is abundantly clear that [the] Plaintiff does not intend to put up any evidence against PDK Smoke or Toro Imports at trial scheduled to start next week.’”

    Ogden said he expects the federal court to remand the case to the Harris County District Court.

    Read the full article (requires a subscription).