The New Texan
Central Texas EditionTuesday, May 19, 2026

Section

Culture

Music, film, art, nightlife, and the city's evolving sense of itself.

REGULATORY WHIPLASH

The Whiplash and the Damage Done

Hemp shops, summer camps, and vape retailers are closing at the same moment — undone by courts reversing each other, deadlines no one can meet, and a federal government that keeps changing its mind.

Texas hemp shops, summer camps, and vape retailers are all scaling back or shutting down at the same moment — not because of market forces, but because of overlapping waves of state and federal regulatory action arriving faster than small businesses can absorb them.

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The New Texan staff · May 19