‘This is stupid’: Governor sides with THC industry, high times ahead for Texas

Governor Greg Abbott has firmly rejected Senate Bill 3, a proposal that would have banned consumable THC products in Texas.

This decision sets up a special legislative session focused on creating strong rules for the growing hemp industry. Abbott made this move late at night, just before the official deadline to veto bills, keeping Texas’s large hemp market intact while directly opposing Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s legislative goals.

The vetoed Senate Bill 3 aimed to stop the sale of hemp products containing any amount of THC, including popular items like delta-8 and delta-9. Governor Abbott had stayed quiet on the issue during the legislative session but faced heavy political pressure from different groups, including conservative activists who usually support Patrick, before ultimately deciding to block the bill.

As first reported by Texas Tribune and AP News, right after the veto, Abbott announced a special legislative session starting July 21. Hemp regulation will be a top priority in this session. He stressed the need for rules that protect public safety, follow federal law, ensure full funding for enforcement, and can be put in place quickly.

Texas wants to keep THC and hemp

The governor said, “Allowing Senate Bill 3 to become law, knowing that it faces a lengthy battle that will render it dead on arrival in court, would hinder rather than help us solve the public safety issues this bill seeks to contain. The current market is dangerously under-regulated, and children are paying the price. If Senate Bill 3 is swiftly enjoined by a court, our children will be no safer than if no law was passed, and the problems will only grow.”

Patrick did not appreciate the veto, saying, “Throughout the legislative session, @GregAbbott_TX remained totally silent on Senate Bill 3, the bill that would have banned dangerous THC products in Texas. I feel especially bad for those who testified and poured their hearts out on their tragic losses.”

Abbott encouraged lawmakers to look at alcohol regulations as a model. His suggestions for new rules included banning the sale and marketing of THC products to minors, requiring strict testing during production, letting local governments shut down stores selling THC products, and giving more money to law enforcement to enforce these rules. This pro-regulation stance puts Abbott directly against Lieutenant Governor Patrick, a powerful figure in the Senate. Patrick had called the THC ban one of his biggest priorities in his 17 years in office and had even threatened a special session earlier this year if the ban didn’t pass.

This is not the strangest bill to go through Texas, like the ban on games and anime that picked up a bit too much steam. Dana Loesch, the former National Rifle Association spokesperson, wrote on social media, “This is stupid… It’s like the gun ban argument with a different variable. Kids aren’t buying it anymore than any other controlled product (alcohol, cigarettes, et al) and if they are, do your job as a parent and parent instead of idiotically expanding government.”