SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio hemp business is challenging the state’s new regulations on consumable hemp products, saying the changes have forced it to pull more than $300,000 worth of inventory from its shelves.
William Hunt, owner of Kingpin Kush, said his business has 10 locations in San Antonio, about 40 employees and serves between 800 and 1,000 customers a day.
“We have dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the legal process of defending the industry, praying for regulation, not for cancellation,” Hunt said.
The Texas Department of State Health Services implemented new regulations July 31 affecting consumable hemp products. Texas lawmakers legalized certain hemp products in 2019 and gave DSHS authority to regulate it.
Hunt said Kingpin Kush built its business around the rules established by the state.
Now, Hunt is asking a judge to intervene.
Kingpin Kush and two other businesses have filed a more than 300-page lawsuit against the state seeking a temporary injunction. Hunt said they want the court to pause enforcement while the issue can be addressed by state lawmakers in January.
“We feel like not one department in the state should have the authority to regulate this,” Hunt said.
The lawsuit challenges the state’s regulation of consumable hemp products and argues the new restrictions threaten businesses that have operated under the state’s previous regulatory framework.
For Hunt, he said the fight is about more than his own business. He said the future of his employees, customers and the broader hemp industry is at stake.
Hunt also said he is prepared to take his message to voters and state leaders.
“When we have these officials saying, if you don’t like it, vote me out. Challenge accepted,” Hunt said. “We’re going to raise the votes here and if we got to do it ourselves.”
The Texas Department of State Health Services was contacted for a response to the lawsuit and a spokesperson responded with the following;
“DSHS doesn’t comment on pending litigation. We’ll respond via the court process.”
The lawsuit remains pending, with a temporary restraining order hearing expected in the coming days.
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