Colton Luther: The Texas Hemp Farmer Who Took the THC Ban Fight to the Capitol

Most hemp advocates arrive at the Texas Capitol as lobbyists, lawyers or trade-group staff. Colton Luther arrived as a farmer. In 2025, when Texas lawmakers moved to ban consumable hemp-derived THC, the Houston Chronicle described him as a 29-year-old who was not a typical Austin lobbyist, and a caption identified him as a hemp farmer from Hempstead. By the end of that summer he had spoken against the ban at the Capitol, joined a campaign that delivered more than 100,000 letters to the governor, and sat down with Gov. Greg Abbott.

Texas Cannabis Advocacy Pioneers, part 1 of 5. Next: Lukas Gilkey. See the full series.

From the Field to the Capitol

Luther is a working cultivator, and that is a large part of why his voice carries in a debate usually argued in terms of retail shelves and tax revenue. Inside Cultivation introduced him as a commercial cultivator and the host of the Texas Growers Podcast. The Houston Chronicle reported that he also hosts a cannabis podcast called Puff and Prosper. Podcast directories list that show with other hosts too, so we treat the exact hosting arrangements as something to confirm with Luther himself.

What the sources agree on is the point of view: hemp is farming and manufacturing as well as a retail product, and Texas growers have a stake in how any new law is written.

June 2, 2025: Speaking Against SB 3

The Chronicle places Luther at the Capitol on June 2, 2025, the last day of the 89th Legislature, speaking against Senate Bill 3, the measure that would have banned consumable THC products. It was the end of a months-long fight in which the House had passed an outright ban and conservative radio hosts had turned on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the ban’s champion.

Luther was part of a circle of hemp business leaders allied with the Texas Hemp Business Council on media efforts that, according to the Chronicle, delivered more than 100,000 letters opposing the ban to the governor. Gov. Abbott vetoed SB 3 that month, citing a pending lawsuit and legal concerns including conflicts with federal law. The Chronicle is careful to note that the industry figures say they helped push the veto, while Abbott’s office did not directly credit the lobbying. We repeat that distinction here: Luther and his allies were part of the effort, and the sources do not measure how much any one group caused the outcome.

A Seat Across From the Governor

In July 2025, Luther met with Abbott to discuss how the state might regulate the industry instead of banning it. The Chronicle quotes him describing the governor’s approach: “He came to us with straight shooter questions on the true infrastructure of the industry.” The same reporting says Abbott met industry figures several times over the following weeks, and in September 2025 he issued an executive order tightening enforcement and setting a 21-and-up age limit. Two special sessions ended without a THC ban.

For a hemp farmer to be asked about supply chains, testing and infrastructure by the state’s chief executive is a measure of how far the industry’s argument moved from “don’t ban us” to “here is how to regulate us.”

The Podcast Platform

Luther has carried that argument to growers outside Texas. On October 14, 2025, he was the guest on Episode 24 of the Inside Cultivation podcast, a 57-minute conversation titled “What growers can learn from Texas’ bold strategy.” The show notes list the political maneuvering behind repeated hemp bans, his private meeting with Abbott, how large indoor and outdoor operations run legally, and lessons for cultivators nationwide.

Back at It for 2027

The week the 90th Legislature began accepting bills, Luther posted an Instagram Reel urging the industry to act. His message, covered in our report Where Are the Hemp and THCA Bills?, was that marijuana bills were already filed while no dedicated hemp or THCA proposal had appeared: “We should be writing bills and lobbying already...” and “Keep your eyes and ears open people.”

It is the same instinct that showed up in 2025: do not wait for lawmakers to define the industry. The deadline to file most bills is March 12, 2027. Readers who want to weigh in can start at our Texas Cannabis Action Center.