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Tag: SB3

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.

Ricky Williams Joins SB3 Fight

Will $475,000 Campaign Help Bring a 4th Quarter Win?

Former Longhorn and Heisman winner Ricky Williams hopes to sway Texas lawmakers on cannabis legislation. He co-founded Project Champion with former NFL athletes Jim McMahon and Kyle Turley. Together, the trio hopes to use their influence — and a $475,000 campaign — to stop Senate Bill 3 in its tracks. 

SB3 passed with bipartisan support through the Texas Senate on March 19. If the House passes the bill, it will ban THC in the state and kill an $8 billion industry. 

“As former professional athletes, we’ve experienced firsthand the physical and mental toll of high-impact sports,” Project Champion’s website states. “Many of us have turned to cannabis as a natural solution for pain management and overall well-being.

project champion “Recognizing the need for safe, effective and accessible cannabis products, we’ve joined forces to advocate for fair legislation and shatter the stigma surrounding this powerful plant.”

Williams is no stranger to cannabis activism, as he was suspended from the NFL multiple times during his career for positive drug tests. In recent months, the league has loosened regulations surrounding cannabis. In 2023, Chiefs’ Travis Kelce told Vanity Fair that he estimates 80% of players use the substance.

On episode 134 of The Texas Hemp Show Podcast, Williams shared that he wished more pro-cannabis athletes would speak out – a mission Project Champion facilitates.

“The stigma is still strong,” he said. “I think people are afraid of it tarnishing their reputation. But to me, a reputation of being something that you’re not and pretending to that you are – not really worth it.”

With their NFL days behind them, Williams, McMahon and Turley have turned over new leaves as cannabis entrepreneurs. In recent years, Williams launched his Highsman brand, while McMahon and Turley have a joint venture called Revenant.

“To me, being an athlete is temporal, and people forget about you – unless you’re the best ever – people forget about you in a generation,” Williams told The Texas Hemp Show in 2023. “What I tell young athletes, I say, ‘Being a professional athlete in the long scheme of your life, it just gives you a platform to do something. But how are you going to use that platform?’ I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to utilize my platform to touch and help and inspire a lot of people who don’t have any interest in football.”

The athletes work alongside the organization’s president, Gretchen Gailey, a seasoned Washington D.C. journalist who worked in the public affairs space and served as communications director for Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA). 

As part of their nationwide efforts, Project Champion lands earned media telling powerful cannabis stories. They have secured headlines on Forbes, MJBizDaily, Benzinga and Chron (to name a few).

Texas’ 89th Legislative Session ends June 2, and it is not yet clear when the House will vote on SB3. In the meantime, Project Champion plans to launch a digital advocacy campaign, host high-impact events and build coalitions. 

For more information, visit projectchampion.org.

Top Ten Prohibitionist Lies

The March 3 hearing showcased the best anti-THC talking points from the 1970’s, 80’s and beyond. Like a hit parade of bogus tunes, here’s the Top Ten Prohibitionist Lies

1. “Marijuana is a Gateway Drug”

• Falsehood: Using marijuana leads people to use harder drugs like heroin or meth.

• Reality: Numerous studies, including from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), show no causal link between marijuana use and subsequent hard drug use. The real gateway factors tend to be socioeconomic conditions, trauma, or early exposure to addictive substances like alcohol and nicotine.

2. “Marijuana Causes Violent Crime”

• Falsehood: Legalizing marijuana increases violent crime rates.

• Reality: Crime statistics from states that have legalized cannabis (e.g., Colorado, Washington) show no significant rise in violent crime—and some cities have even reported decreases. In contrast, illegal drug trade violence often decreases when legal markets replace black market sales.

3. “Marijuana Lowers IQ and Makes People Lazy”

• Falsehood: Long-term cannabis use reduces intelligence and destroys motivation.

• Reality: Studies show no significant IQ drop in adults who use cannabis. While adolescent overuse may impact cognitive development, occasional adult use has not been linked to measurable declines in intelligence. Moreover, many successful professionals and creatives openly use cannabis without suffering motivational issues.

4. “Marijuana is as Dangerous as Heroin and Fentanyl”

• Falsehood: Cannabis is a “Schedule I drug” because it’s highly addictive and has no medical benefits.

• Reality: Marijuana is not chemically addictive in the way opioids or nicotine are, and it has established medical benefits for pain, epilepsy, PTSD, and more. In fact, it is far less harmful than alcohol and prescription painkillers.

5. “Legalization Leads to More Teen Use”

• Falsehood: When states legalize marijuana, more teenagers will start using it.

• Reality: Studies from The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Colorado Department of Public Health show no increase in youth marijuana use post-legalization. In fact, some states have seen decreases in underage use due to better regulation.

6. “Marijuana Kills Brain Cells”

• Falsehood: Smoking weed permanently destroys brain cells.

• Reality: This myth originated from a flawed 1970s study where researchers suffocated monkeys with excessive cannabis smoke, depriving them of oxygen. Modern neuroscience shows that cannabis affects brain function but does not destroy brain cells.

7. “People Overdose on Marijuana”

• Falsehood: Cannabis use leads to lethal overdoses.

• Reality: There are zero recorded deaths from cannabis overdose. While high doses can cause discomfort, anxiety, or nausea, it does not suppress respiratory function like opioids.

8. “Legal Marijuana States Have More DUIs and Traffic Accidents”

• Falsehood: Marijuana legalization leads to more impaired driving and crashes.

• Reality: While THC can impair driving ability in some cases, overall crash rates have not spiked in legal states. Many studies indicate that drunk driving is a far bigger problem than cannabis-impaired driving.

9. “Marijuana Has No Legitimate Medical Use”

• Falsehood: There is no scientific evidence supporting medical marijuana.

• Reality: Cannabis is FDA-approved for multiple conditions, and studies confirm its effectiveness in treating epilepsy (CBD), chronic pain, nausea from chemotherapy, PTSD, and multiple sclerosis. The U.S. government even holds a patent on cannabinoids for their neuroprotective effects.

10. “Marijuana Legalization Harms the Economy”

• Falsehood: Legal weed will damage businesses and hurt the economy.

• Reality: Legal cannabis is one of the fastest-growing industries, generating billions in tax revenue, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and reducing costs related to law enforcement

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