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Gov. Abbott vetoed a bill that would ban all recreational THC in Texas as supporters of the bill argue businesses are selling higher than legal doses of their products.
Lawmakers will have to return for a special session in a few weeks, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called out Gov. Abbott for his 11th hour veto of SB3, stating in his own words that Gov. Abbott is trying to legalize marijuana in Texas.
Dan Patrick calls out Abbott
What we know:
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Abbott are usually on the same page with legislation, but when it comes to Senate Bill 3’s veto, Patrick didn’t hold his tongue on the bill that would have banned all recreational consumable THC.
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“Where was he on this bill? He could have talked to us at any time. The speaker, myself, members, he didn’t ever discuss this,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“To do it at 11:22 at night, I really felt sorry for all those people that came and testified to pour their hearts out. I felt sorry for the law enforcement trying to do their job. You have to respect the legislature.”
The veto came down before midnight on Monday.
THC Regulation
Dig deeper:
Abbott said in a statement that the outright ban would be quickly challenged in court, suggesting there should be more regulations on the industry instead.
Now lawmakers are being called back next month for a special session to pass a bill that Abbott can support.
Veterans on the veto
What they’re saying:
Dave Walden is the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) state commander. Veterans and others dealing with chronic pain or PTSD have turned to legalized THC products for relief.
He tells FOX 4 that consumable THC has helped him when opioids did not, but agrees that there needs to be guardrails in the industry.
“We have said from the start, the Texas VFW is for regulation. We wanted to regulate this bill. We worked with Chairman King in the House on a regulation bill, and it was a decent bill when it hit the Senate floor,” said Walden.
FOX 4’s Steven Dial asked Walden if he believed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was overreacting to the Governor’s veto.
“Absolutely, he’s been overreacting from the start,” said Walden.
THC not to be sold to children
The other side:
SB3 passed the house and senate with a lot of support to ban products like Delta 8.
Since 2020, more than 8,000 stores have popped up across Texas selling these products. Patrick says it poses a danger to teens, and it’s impossible to regulate such a booming industry in Texas.
“The best way to protect the adults and the children is to ban the product. You cannot regulate 8-9,000 locations. We do not have enough law enforcement to do so.”
Gov. Abbott’s spokesperson sent FOX 4 a statement saying he wants to make sure THC products aren’t sold to children.
The statement went on to say SB3 was well intentioned but legally flawed.
Texas Legislature special session
What’s next:
The special session starts on July 21.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by an interview conducted by FOX 4’s Steven Dial. Additional information was provided by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and their social media pages.
“}]] Governor Greg Abbott vetoed a bill to ban all recreational THC in Texas, citing legal flaws and prompting a sharp rebuke from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick while earning praise from the Texas VFW, with a special legislative session now set for July 21st to address the issue. Read More
