[PRESS RELEASE] – AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2025 – Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick visited the Happy Cactus, a legal hemp retailer in Austin, Texas. When Patrick entered the store, the employees asked for identification to verify his age. He complied and showed his ID, proving he was over 21.

The Happy Cactus team followed the standards of best practices established by the Cannabis Retailers Alliance for Texas and other organizations. Patrick asked about gummies and if products with more than 50 milligrams per serving of hemp THC were available. Co-owner Todd Harris informed him products with more than 50 milligrams per serving were not available in the store. 

Patrick claimed that students from Crockett High School had been in the store. Harris said everyone who enters the store is asked for identification to prove they are 21 or older. Harris’ attorney sent Crockett High School administrators a letter warning students not to trespass in the store more than six months ago.

“We are proud of our team here at Happy Cactus,” Harris said. “They handled the visit according to the best practices of Texas hemp retailers and with professionalism and respect. We are proud to provide a legal product that helps many people in our community, including veterans and seniors.”

Patrick’s visit to the Happy Cactus comes as the lieutenant governor is pushing legislation through the Texas Senate that aims to ban hemp-derived THC products that have an estimated $8 billion economic impact in the state.

RELATE: Texas Lieutenant Governor Lists THC Ban as Top Priority for 2025

“We are grateful that Lieutenant Governor Patrick decided to investigate stores on his own,” said David Sergi, of Sergi & Associates. “We are very pleased that he chose Happy Cactus because they are one of the best examples of how to run a store properly. It’s obvious that they carry quality products for people in need and take extreme precautions to ensure their products do not fall into the wrong hands. They even ‘carded’ Lieutenant Governor Patrick without knowing who he was.”

The Happy Cactus is one of Sergi’s clients. Sergi said the lieutenant governor saw firsthand that the hemp retailer does things correctly.

“He learned that we had sent a no-trespass letter to Crockett High School because we didn’t want their students in our store,” Sergi said. “He also learned that their students no longer attempt to come into our store. Happy Cactus does things right like most of our industry.”