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Tag: Rachel Nelson

Most Wanted Attorney in Texas: Adam Reposa

With the state’s flower ban looming in March, Texas hemp shop owners were staring at shelves full of products they suddenly might not be able to sell. Everyone was sweating – except Adam Reposa.

 

The Austin attorney and owner of ATX Budtenders was unfazed, mostly because he’s been running a dispensary that technically sells “merch” and just happens to give away weed as a gift. He models his business after Washington DC-style dispensaries. In the nation’s capital, dispensaries dodge legal landmines by selling “services” like motivational speeches and then giving weed away as a “free gift.” Yes, that’s really the system. No, you’re not hallucinating.

 

ATX Budtenders leans into this model by selling t‑shirts priced from $100 to $300. If anything, Reposa admits he could be guilty of littering because his delivery drivers “toss weed into people’s yards” while dropping off shirts.

 

Winning in The Wreckage

 

The Texas Department of State Health Services’ smokable hemp ban isn’t its first attempt to choke out the industry. In 2021, the agency tried banning Delta 8 THC – a move the courts eventually put in time-out with a temporary injunction that’s still in effect five years later. In 2026, brands like Wyatt Purp sued again, hoping the Delta‑8 precedent would save them from another regulatory beatdown.

 

Meanwhile, Reposa’s business seems to enjoy protections that licensed flower dispensaries can only dream about.

 

Reposa has never depended on permission. He’s been selling his Mr. Chinga line of cannabis products for years, insisting Austin’s decriminalization efforts created a kind of de facto legalization – when the law says one thing, but everyday reality says another. In this landscape, ATX Budtenders continues to thrive, even after a January 2024 police raid that resulted in… absolutely nothing. More than two years later, no charges have been filed.

 

Whether he’s a visionary or a liability, Reposa’s presence makes one thing clear: Texas’ cannabis future won’t be shaped solely in courtrooms.

 

“They’re trying to hand the industry off to a bunch of rich people, and if we can’t win this fight, we’re f***ing losers,” Reposa said. “We’re just sitting around waiting for them to hand something to us, and that’s some pu**y ass bullsh*t if we let that happen. After all, we live in the land of ‘Come and Take it.’”

 

Entering a New Chapter – Personally and Professionally

 

At 50, Reposa is a recent divorcee who “hates dating apps and doesn’t feel bad about selling weed.”

 

“I’m not everyone’s cup of tea,” he said, while confirming a lack of emotional intelligence. “I’d be hard for any woman to handle. Maybe I’m not relationship material.”

 

Still, he’d like all the single ladies to know he’s on Tinder. Swipe responsibly.

 

Romance, however, is low on Reposa’s priority list. A looming hemp ban means an uptick in business for ATX Budtenders.

 

“My staff sucks, and I worry I’m not going to be able to keep up with my organic growth,” he said. “I need people who are worth a sh*t.”

 

Those who are interested in working at ATX Budtenders are encouraged to inquire by phone at 512-GAS-BUDS.

 

In addition to future hopes of running for Travis County District Attorney, Reposa aspires to make ATX Budtenders a nationwide brand.

 

“But it’s not going to be possible with my current dipsh*t staff,” he said.

This May or May Not End Well

 

Controversy is basically Reposa’s love language. He has been convicted of contempt of court twice, serving a collective 77 days in jail for the offenses. He has made antagonizing viral videos, and he once slapped stickers on East Austin businesses that featured the City of Austin’s seal and read, “Exclusively for White People,” to make a statement about gentrification. Subtlety is not his strong suit.

 

Launching ATX Budtenders fits neatly into his lifelong pattern of poking the bear. As legal hemp businesses face disruption from the state government, Reposa represents what everyone else is afraid to do. But is he exploiting the chaos or exposing the hypocrisy?

 

His business model may not survive forever, but for now, it exposes the strange limbo Texas has created – a place where enforcement is selective, legality is fluid, and the boldest players thrive in the cracks.

 

In a state at war with its own cannabis culture, Reposa is the wild card. And whether he’s right or reckless depends on who you ask.

Cannabis Pioneer ‘The Soil King’ Praises Texans for Passionate Fight Against Hemp Ban

Patrick King, known professionally as The Soil King, made a name for himself in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle — the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. He was part of the “215 Movement” in 1996, which legalized medical cannabis in California and paved the way for the nation’s broader legalization movement.

“I was the first micro-license given in the state of California and the first solventless rosin-producing company in California (Rosin Tech Labs),” he said.

Today, King travels the world speaking to audiences and promoting his agricultural products — a feat that landed him in Austin for the first time last October for The Taste of Texas Hemp Cup. During that visit, King said he observed something special about The Lone Star State.

“Texas shows up,” he said.

King has watched the tenacity continue in recent months, as advocates have appeared at the state capitol in droves to testify against bills that would ban all or most consumable hemp products.

“Being a pioneer myself to where cannabis is at today, it’s very, very important to show up in numbers and have the support,” King said. “When it came through in Northern California, nobody wanted to show up and do any activism. And that was a problem because there were just a few of us that would go to do all these events, that would show up at the capitol, that would actually read the bills and try to do our due diligence and report back to the community. When we asked the community to show up and help us, they wouldn’t do it.”

While some would offer monetary support, King recalls the reluctance of the community to take a public stand.

“But then when we didn’t get our way, those same people, all they did was cry and complain,” he said. “And my thing is, ‘Hey man, shut up or show up.’ And Texas shows up! That’s what happens here in Texas.”

On April 13, King returned to Austin for a meet and greet at Brite Ideas Hydroponics. He also appeared on the Texas Hemp Show, where he expressed his interest in expanding relationships in the area.

“If anybody wants to do some collabs, I want to get invested in this community,” he said. “I love you guys, I see what you’re doing, and I support you.”

Those interested in collaborating should email patrick@thesoilking.com.

During his time on The Texas Hemp Show, King discussed his passion for living soil and probiotic farming.

“When you’re dealing with probiotic farming, the same soil-born probiotic is the same microbiome as in your body,” he said. “So when you’re growing and get your soils right, you’re producing health to your body, and it’s a reciprocal relationship from earth to soul, and that’s how you get healthy.”

King boasts a “super clean” collection of farming products — including his King Kashi compost and Big Rootz Soil — which can be purchased at thesoilking.com.


Tejas Tonic: 3 Flavors of Unlimited Enjoyment

After receiving a positive response from customers on its inaugural lime-flavored beverage, Tejas Tonic released two more varieties: Agarita Berry and Frio Mango.

The agarita berry grows on a shrub commonly found in the Texas Hill Country. Fragrant, yellow blooms appear on the plant during spring, followed by a bright red berry often used for making jelly and wine.

The agarita berry offers a mostly tart flavor, and according to the blog Foraging Texas, it offers medicinal applications. Agaritas are said to relieve nausea, aid with digestion and help boost immunity.

Frio mango is the latest refreshing flavor offered by Tejas Tonic and is a homage to South Texas — the only part of the state with a climate suitable for growing mangos.

Emerging as Tejas Tonic’s entry into the “exotic” flavor category, Frio Mango is also a tip of the hat to Texas’ own Frio River. There’s nothing more exotic in Texas than the Frio River, right?

While many options are popping up in the hemp beverage space, here are four reasons to enjoy Tejas Tonic.

4 Reasons to Enjoy Tejas Tonic

1. It’s all-natural.

Aaron Owens, founder of Tejas Hemp and Tejas Tonic, believes in keeping his products natural and never uses synthetic methods. In its marketing for Tejas Tonic, the company emphasizes, “It hasn’t left our sight since the plants came out of the ground.”

Tejas does, in fact, grow its hemp for Tejas Tonic locally in Dripping Springs and Luchenbach, remaining one of (if not the only) Texas beverage to grow their own — and here in Texas at that.

2. It’s terp-boosted.

Terpenes, known as terps, are compounds in certain plants that give them distinct aromas and flavors. In cannabis plants, each strain has a unique terpene profile, and each terpene is said to offer certain benefits (such as reducing anxiety or improving focus).

3. It won’t give you a hangover.

One of the biggest benefits of hemp beverages is that partakers won’t suffer undesirable after-effects. As hemp-infused drinks become more widely available, many people are opting for them over a night of boozing.

4. It’s convenient to get.

Tejas Tonic is available in over 700 locations in Texas alone. Visit tejastonic.com/finder to find a location near you.

Texas Hemp Show #186: THC Beverages

Hemp beverages are seltzers, sodas, mocktails, coffees, teas, and other drinks that contain an infusion of hemp-derived cannabinoids, terpenes, or fibers. Common cannabinoids include CBD and THC, but other “minor cannabinoids” can also be incorporated.

Hear Our Interview with Christopher Lackner of US Hemp Bevg. Alliance

The Results Are In

Learn more about the Lone Star State’s best beverage brands in our THC-infused Beverage Challenge.

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