Can You Still Buy Weed? And Other Texas Questions

Hey y'all, it's Brian Gaar with The Barbed Wire.

And good morning to everyone who woke up wondering: Can I still buy weed? Is my salad trying to kill me? Is the power grid about to be eaten by AI? Is Ken Paxton actually losing? And why is Buc-ee's dressing Aggies now?

It’s just another week in Texas, where we’re banning some THC, pausing data centers, watching a surprisingly competitive Senate race, telling you to wash your lettuce, and somehow finding time to release what might be the most aggressively Texan T-shirt ever made.

Texas THC Ban Takes Effect. Delta-9 Lives to Fight Another Day.

Texas' new hemp rules kicked in last week, and the result is confusing enough that you'll probably need to ask your local smoke shop employee for a flowchart.

Starting July 31, the state banned several hemp-derived THC products, including delta-8, delta-10, THCP, and THCA flower, after a Texas Supreme Court ruling allowed the Texas Department of State Health Services to classify them as Schedule I drugs.

Seems nuts, right? Welcome to Texas.

The big exception? Low-dose delta-9 THC products remain legal, meaning we can still buy qualifying edibles, drinks, tinctures, and (for now) even smokable delta-9 hemp while a separate court fight over that ban continues.

Cannabis advocates say the ruling could wipe out 60% to 90% of products sold in some stores and force businesses to close. Supporters of the restrictions (*cough* the booze industry *cough*) argue they're needed to protect children.

Meanwhile, possession of the newly banned products could now carry penalties ranging from 180 days to two years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

So congratulations, Texas. We somehow made buying weed require more legal research than buying a gun. Yee-fuckin’-haw.

Texas' Summer Parasite Is Back. Please Wash Your Lettuce.

Texas health officials say confirmed cyclospora cases jumped from 121 to 188 in just one week, with another 10 probable cases under investigation.

The Dallas-Fort Worth region saw one of the biggest increases, jumping from six reported cases to 31. South Texas remains the state's hotspot with 68 cases, followed by the Houston area with 43.

The parasite causes cyclosporiasis, which is the gastrointestinal equivalent of spending an afternoon at Six Flags in the middle of August.

The good news: Texas has reported 37 hospitalizations but no deaths this year.

Officials recommend avoiding recalled foods, washing produce, and cooking fruits and vegetables to at least 158 degrees if possible.

Or you could just start an all-brisket diet and be fine!

Abbott Hits Pause on Texas Data Centers

After months of complaints about giant AI data centers popping up across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state regulators to stop approving new facilities until they complete audits of projects waiting to connect to the power grid.

Abbott wants developers to disclose information including electricity use, water consumption, tax incentives, ownership, cooling systems, and community impacts before they're allowed onto the grid.

ERCOT says more than 1,800 projects are currently waiting in the connection queue, representing more than five times the state's record peak electricity demand. Abbott says roughly 90% of those new power requests are for data centers.

Critics say the move doesn't go far enough, arguing it's more of a paperwork timeout than a true moratorium.

Nothing says "Texas infrastructure planning" like realizing maybe we should ask where all the electricity is going after hundreds of data centers line up to plug in.

New Poll Shows Talarico Leading Paxton

Another poll has Democrat James Talarico narrowly ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in Texas' U.S. Senate race.

The new Texas Southern University survey shows Talarico leading 47% to 45%, with 6% of voters still undecided. That's within the poll's margin of error, but it follows a Fox News poll released just days earlier that also showed Talarico with a small lead.

The poll also found Paxton underwater on favorability, with 39% viewing him favorably and 57% unfavorably. Talarico was nearly even, with 46% favorable and 47% unfavorable.

Decision Desk HQ currently rates the race as a toss-up.

In a sane state it wouldn’t be, but after a bazillion years of Republican dominance, we’ll take what we can get. 

Texas A&M and Buc-ee's Finally Become One

In news that somehow feels less like a corporate partnership and more like a prophecy being fulfilled, Texas A&M and Buc-ee's have launched their first co-branded merchandise.

The first item is a Texas A&M/Buc-ee's T-shirt, available at 20 Buc-ee's locations around Texas and at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in College Station.

(And I can personally vouch for the new shirts’ existence, having seen one recently at a Buc-ee’s in Temple. It was a bit weird, but also … not really.)

The partnership celebrates Buc-ee's founder Arch "Beaver" Aplin III, a Texas A&M graduate whose $60 million gift is helping build the Aplin Center on campus.

Earlier this year, Texas A&M became the first university to sell Buc-ee's products on campus. Now you can wear the collaboration too.

Honestly, if this partnership eventually results in a Buc-ee's inside Kyle Field, none of us should be surprised.