The last day of the legislative session in Austin ended with dueling press conferences and high emotion over a proposed ban on THC products. Now, eyes are on Gov. Abbott to decide whether to sign, veto it, or let it become law without his signature.
The last day of the legislative session ended with dueling press conferences and high emotions over a proposed ban on THC products. Now, eyes are on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to decide whether to sign, veto, or let the bill become law without his signature.
The THC ban was one of the top priorities of Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, arguably the most powerful person in the state. The only other man who can challenge him on this issue is the governor.
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On the last day of the Capitol, advocates on both sides of the issue took their case to the public.
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SIGN UP “These products are increasing our homelessness crisis, our crime crisis, our mental health crisis, our suicide crisis," Aubree Adams told NBC 5. Adams is from Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas, a group supporting SB 3.
Adams said she moved her son out of Colorado to get him away from THC and cannabis products there. He has addiction issues, she said, and now lives in the Houston area. Thousands of retail stores opened in Texas after a 2019 law allowed Texas farmers to grow and sell hemp products.
“It is a very, very horrible experience to witness your loved one in cannabis psychosis and to see them suffer," said Adams.
Earlier this spring, Patrick, as leader of the Texas Senate, convinced lawmakers to pass the ban. He made the case with them that THC shops have opened too close to schools and have hooked young Texans on a new vice.
But this issue puts him on the opposite side of state and national veterans groups. They argue it helps veterans with chronic pain and PTSD.
“We urge Gov. Abbott to please veto Senate Bill 3," said Mitch Fuller from the Texas chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"Please don't take something away from us that works. Hemp-derived consumables work. More than 158,000 veterans have committed suicide in the last 25 years … that is more than were killed in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Taking this away from us is a threat. This is literally our lives that are at stake. Hemp-derived consumables have helped thousands of veterans in this state, millions across the country, avoid the pharmaceutical cocktail of opioids and antidepressants," Fuller said. "Let us choose what works best for us."
The THC business groups argue lawmakers are fear-mongering about an emerging industry.
“The only goal of these scare tactics was to frighten legislators and the public into going on with an agenda that they did not ask for," said Cynthia Cabrera from the Texas Hemp Business Council.
Colton Luther, a farmer in Hempstead, said Monday farmers have invested millions of dollars and thousands of manhours in developing the infrastructure to operate the hemp program approved by legislators six years ago. He countered Patrick's claim that no one knows what's in the products and that the manufacturers were trying to harm children.
"They have slandered us with harmful misinformation that's just blatantly not true. We're not evil people trying to hurt children or any of the claims that they make," Luther said. "In fact, one of my businesses goes to the ends of the earth to make sure that the products are safe, tested, organic and all these other issues that are being brought up by the legislature and lieutenant governor."
Abbott has 10 days to decide whether to veto Senate Bill 3, or it becomes law, and beginning Sept. 1, THC products would be illegal in Texas.
