By Rita Cook
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
AUSTIN – Texas governor Greg Abbott had a pile of bills on his desk to sign or veto by the Sunday, June 22 deadline. One bill SB3 had many Texans sitting on the edge of their seat waiting to find out if he would be banning THC consumables in Texas.
That bill was meant to ban gummies, vapes, and other hemp-derived items that are currently sold across the state.
A number of special interest groups, including veterans, spoke during committee hearings leading up to the bills passing begging Texas lawmakers to have a heart and care about their mental health.
But lawmakers in Texas were not listening to their constituents and voted 95-44 in favor of the banning.
One of the main voices for the bill was Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who was adamant THC in all forms must be banned.
Fortunately, Gov. Abbott decided health and goodwill toward the voters was a better move this past Sunday when he vetoed SB3.
THC is about an $8 billion industry in Texas and speculation has been loud that SB3 was influenced by local beer lobbyists who did not like their industry losing money to THC.
Many Texans took the time to investigate just who these lobbyists were funding and some were point-ing their finger at Patrick among other lawmakers.
The arguments Patrick and other Texas lawmakers were attempting to push was the “protecting the children” argument.
Texans for the most part saw past the emotional manipulation since it was reported that in, as an example, 2019 alone there was $28,674,207 spent in Texas relating to beer, wine and liquor by lobbyists.
At Patrick’s press conference earlier this week when speaking about the veto he said, “With this veto, he [Abbott] has now put us in a box.”
Abbott did call for a special session beginning July 21 looking into stricter regulations on THC products, much like the regulations regarding alcohol.
“It puzzles me why my friend Greg Abbott, at the last minute, about 22 minutes after 11, decide to veto this bill,” Patrick said during the press conference. stated.
Patrick also stated that with this veto Abbott “wants to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas.
That’s the headline folks.”
However, that is not the case.
Instead Abbott was wisely listening to veteran groups, business owners, and even some Republican lawmakers, who were adamant the ban would negate Texas’s pro-business values.
Gov. Abbott released his own statement after the veto and said while the SB3 might have been “well-intentioned,” it could “never go into effect because of valid constitutional challenges.”
Jim Higdon, co-founder of Cornbread Hemp with over 20,000 customers in Texas said “Governor Greg Abbott’s veto of SB3 marks a historic turning point in America’s relationship with cannabis. For the first time, a sitting Republican governor has rejected prohibitionist fearmongering and instead affirmed the rights of Americans to access legal THC products. This moment will be remembered as the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in the United States.”
Veterans and those who use THC products for their health as opposed to dangerous drugs offered by doctors rejoiced at the veto.
Higdon said “We are especially grateful to the veterans who made their voices heard in Texas, reminding lawmakers that access to non-intoxicating full spectrum hemp products and low-dose THC products are a lifeline — not a loophole. We thank Governor Abbott for listening to those voices and standing up for freedom, economic opportunity, and common sense. This moment will go down in history as a major milestone in the long road away from cannabis prohibition and towards a future where all cannabis is legal and well-regulated in America.”
Rita Cook is a world traveler and writer/editor who specializes in writing on travel, auto, crime and politics. A correspondent for Texas Metro News, she has published 11 books and has also produced low-budget films.
