Well done the Happy Cactus..
The Houston Chronicle
The owners of a hemp store in Austin got a surprise visit Tuesday from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who owners said walked into their store asking how many children buy their products.
Patrick also was in for a surprise himself, when store employees carded him, said Todd Harris, one of the owners of The Happy Cactus Apothecary in Austin.
“One of our employees said she asked for his ID, and he said ‘I’m Dan Patrick.’ And she said, ‘I still need to see your ID,’” Harris said.
Patrick made a strong vow to ban all THC in Texas last December, citing safety concerns over lack of regulation and intoxicating levels of THC. That vow has become one of Patrick’s main priorities this legislative session through Senate Bill 3.
“[SB3] would shut down so much of the industry,” Harris said. “This visit felt like a last ditch effort for him to give some perspective on his presentation at the legislative session.”
The Houston Chronicle reached out to Patrick’s office Tuesday, but did not hear back.
Dispensary owners like Harris have argued the bill, which would ban all forms of consumable THC in Texas, would gut their livelihoods and hurt their clients, who Harris said use hemp-derived products for pain relief. And Harris said he got the chance to share that view with Patrick after an employee connected the two over the phone.
“I was nervous at first, but then I pulled it together and explained our doses are 50 mg a serving at most, and that we’re educational and try to elevate cannabis,” Harris said.
“[Patrick] was like, ‘kids are coming in all the time,’ and I said ‘No, kids are never coming in because we are very cautious about that,” Harris said.
The proximity of smoke shops and dispensaries to schools has become a hot-button topic in the legislature, most recently leading a group of Houston parents to push for a bill. And in the last year, cities near Houston have cracked down on smoke shops and dispensary operations with ordinances.
Harris’ business is across from Crockett Early College High School. The same day Patrick visited, David Sergi, the business’ attorney, sent a letter to the school declining to participate in advertising for the school’s baseball team — arguing it wouldn’t be a good look for either party.
“My client remains committed to being a responsible and conscientious neighbor,” the letter read. “They have implemented several measures to ensure that their business does not market to or attract underage students, and they have previously reached out to school administrators to explore opportunities to collaborate on student safety.”
Harris said by the end of their conversation, Patrick said he thought Harris’ business was “doing things right.” Harris said Patrick noted “bad actors” in the hemp industry needed to be addressed, which Harris said was a point he and Patrick agreed on.
Sergi said it was his understanding Patrick was “making his rounds around Austin” to “hangout with the hemp crowd.” Still, Sergi said he was grateful for the Lt. Governor’s visit.
