A Houston woman is facing a child endangerment charge after a 4-year-old boy in her care was hospitalized following what police say was the consumption of THC gummies at her apartment.
Houston police were called last week after the child’s mother arrived to pick up her son and found him unable to stand, appearing sick, and drifting in and out of consciousness. According to investigators, the mother regularly leaves the boy with the neighbor while she goes to work.
Court records show the child was taken to the hospital.
Police identified the neighbor as Denia Ramos-Velasquez, 42, who told officers the child had consumed more than one gummy inside her apartment. She reportedly claimed she did not know the gummies contained THC.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office accepted a charge of endangering a child against Ramos-Velasquez. Police also contacted Child Protective Services.
The arrest lands on the same day new Texas Department of State Health Services regulations went into effect targeting the state’s THC industry. The DSHS rules, which took effect today, March 31, adopt a “total THC” calculation that factors in THCA alongside delta-9 THC. That change effectively bans smokable THC products from store shelves in Texas, including flower and pre-rolls. Edibles such as THC gummies remain legal under the new rules, though they are now subject to stricter requirements including child-resistant and resealable packaging.
The timing follows Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s new round of interim charges for the Texas Senate. Patrick has directed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to study how high-THC marijuana products, synthetic cannabinoids, and other substances affect Texans’ health and public safety, including the relationship between such products and rising health care costs, mental health emergency detentions, and the risk of THC-induced psychotic disorder.
Patrick has been one of the most vocal opponents of THC products in the state. He led the Senate’s push last session to ban all forms of THC outright, a bill that ultimately passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott last summer.
Abbott instead issued an executive order directing DSHS and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to increase regulations on the industry, which resulted in the rules now taking effect.
Industry groups have pushed back on the new DSHS regulations, with the Texas Hemp Business Council saying it believes several provisions exceed the agency’s legal authority and that it plans to challenge their implementation in court.
