{"id":7467,"date":"2025-06-23T07:51:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T07:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/7467\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T07:51:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T07:51:07","slug":"gov-greg-abbott-vetoes-thc-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/7467\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes THC ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy<\/a>, and give us feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sign up for The Brief<\/a>, The Texas Tribune\u2019s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.\n<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a> on Sunday vetoed a contentious state ban on THC products and shortly after called a special legislative session asking lawmakers to instead strictly regulate the substance.<\/p>\n

The late-night action just minutes before the veto deadline keeps the Texas hemp industry alive for now, <\/strong>while spiking a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 3 would have banned consumable hemp products that contained any THC, including delta-8 and delta-9.<\/p>\n

Abbott, who had remained quiet about the issue throughout the legislative session, rejected the measure amid immense political pressure<\/a> from both sides of the aisle, including from conservatives activists typically supportive of Patrick\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n

Soon after midnight, Abbott called lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session beginning July 21 with consumable hemp regulation at the top of the agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexas must enact a regulatory framework that protects public safety, aligns with federal law, has a fully funded enforcement structure and can take effect without delay,\u201d Abbott said.<\/p>\n

In a statement explaining his veto<\/a>, Abbott argued that SB 3 would not have survived \u201cvalid constitutional challenges,\u201d and that the bill\u2019s total ban \u201cputs federal and state law on a collision course,\u201d noting that the 2018 federal Farm Bill legalized hemp products.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllowing Senate Bill 3 to become law \u2014 knowing that it faces a lengthy battle that will render it dead on arrival in court \u2014 would hinder rather than help us solve the public safety issues this bill seeks to contain,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbott urged lawmakers to consider an approach similar to the way alcohol is regulated, recommending potential rules including barring the sale and marketing of THC products to minors, requiring testing throughout the production and manufacturing process, allowing local governments to prohibit stores selling THC products and providing law enforcement with additional funding to enforce the restrictions.<\/p>\n

Abbott\u2019s veto <\/strong>\u2014 and his push for a regulatory approach \u2014 puts him directly at odds with Patrick, the powerful head of the Senate, who had called the THC ban among his \u201ctop five\u201d bills during his 17 years in the Legislature and threatened in February to force a special session if he did not get his way.<\/p>\n

Patrick excoriated the veto on social media Sunday<\/a>, saying Abbott\u2019s \u201clate-night veto\u201d would leave law enforcement and families whose loved ones have been harmed by high-potency products \u201cfeeling abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout the legislative session, @GregAbbott_TX remained totally silent on Senate Bill 3, the bill that would have banned dangerous THC products in Texas,\u201d Patrick said. \u201cI feel especially bad for those who testified and poured their hearts out on their tragic losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporters of SB 3 argued that a full prohibition was necessary to protect young people from consuming products with high concentrations of THC. Patrick, in a May news conference renewing his criticism of the industry, called THC-infused products \u2014 such as gummies, beverages and vapes \u2014 a \u201cpoison in our public.\u201d<\/p>\n

The measure became one of Patrick\u2019s most visible priorities this session, as he visited several cannabis stores and filmed amateur-style investigative videos<\/a> of what he described as dangerous practices.<\/p>\n

Abbott\u2019s veto comes six years after the Legislature inadvertently opened the door to a surge in hemp-based products when lawmakers, meaning to boost Texas agriculture, authorized the sale of consumable hemp.<\/p>\n

Though that 2019 law does not allow products to contain more than trace amounts of delta-9 THC, it did not establish that same threshold for other hemp derivatives. Critics say the hemp industry exploited that loophole to usher in more than 8,000 retailers selling THC-laced edibles, drinks, vapes and flower buds across Texas.<\/p>\n

Since then, the state hemp industry has exploded, accounting for roughly 50,000 jobs and generating $8 billion in tax revenue annually, according to one estimate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The hemp industry, in addition to some military veterans<\/a> and farmers<\/a>, had pushed for stronger regulations over a ban. Veterans and other Texans managing chronic pain and other conditions described how consumable hemp products<\/a> have helped them cope and allow them to avoid opioids.<\/p>\n

The governor \u201chas shown the people of Texas who he works for \u2014 proving that truth, freedom and the voices of Texans still matter,\u201d the Texas Hemp Business Council posted on social media<\/a>, cheering the veto. \u201cGovernor Abbott showed real leadership today. Texas is stronger for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the session, <\/strong>Patrick and his allies managed to advance a full prohibition through the House, swapping out a proposed regulatory framework<\/a> \u2014 which would have barred sales and marketing to minors, bolstered law enforcement and banned certain synthetics \u2014 for a ban.<\/p>\n

As an attempted counterbalance, the Legislature also boosted the state\u2019s medical marijuana<\/a> program, expanding the types of products, the number of dispensaries and the qualifying health conditions, as well as reducing some of the costly regulations on dispensaries.<\/p>\n

Whether Abbott would veto SB 3 became a leading question after the end of the legislative session, with the governor giving few hints and maintaining only that he would carefully consider every piece of legislation that landed on his desk.<\/p>\n

After SB 3 passed, the hemp industry waged a high-octane campaign urging the governor to veto the bill and accusing lawmakers of putting politics over sensible policy. Opposition to the ban came from across the political spectrum, amping up pressure on Abbott and putting Patrick in an unfamiliar position<\/a> in the crosshairs of conservative activists who tend to march in lockstep with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is stupid,\u201d Dana Loesch, the former National Rifle Association spokesperson who now hosts a nationally syndicated conservative talk radio show, wrote on social media<\/a> responding to Patrick\u2019s argument that the ban would keep THC away from children. \u201cIt’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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of Sunday\u2019s deadline, Texas Democrats said if Abbott didn\u2019t veto SB 3, they hoped the ban might help galvanize voters against Republicans in next year\u2019s statewide elections. Abbott and Patrick are both up for re-election, though political experts said<\/a> the issue alone was unlikely to pose a serious political threat.<\/p>\n

Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup!<\/strong> New additions include Margaret Spellings<\/strong>, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry<\/strong>, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O\u2019Rourke<\/strong>, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale<\/strong>, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang<\/strong>, journalist and trial lawyer.<\/p>\n

Get tickets.<\/a><\/p>\n

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[79,5026,50,80,5528,8881,5526,5523,5525,5524,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-7467","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-greg-abbott","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-state-government","14":"tag-synthetic-marijuana","15":"tag-texas-government","16":"tag-texas-news","17":"tag-texas-policy","18":"tag-texas-politics","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114731593440715099","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}