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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is continuing to push a ban on THC-infused products in Texas as Governor Greg Abbott decides on whether to sign the bill or not.
Patrick joined LiveNOW from FOX’s Josh Breslow on Friday morning to talk about his concerns with synthetic cannabis products, stores that sell those products and the impact those products are having on the state.
What they’re saying:
“This is not the pot that people smoked during Woodstock in the 60s,” Patrick said. “This new pot is stronger than ever, four, five, six, seven times more, and it creates schizophrenia, paranoia.”
Patrick called the influx of stores selling synthetic cannabis an “assault on Texas.”
“There are only 1,100 McDonald’s in Texas, but in three years they opened 8,000-9,000 smoke and vape shops all around Texas,” Patrick said.
Patrick said the industry is targeting children with products that look like candy and snacks while opening up near schools.
Of the shops that are open, Patrick said only about half were operating with a license from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
In Texas, the cannabis industry generates $8 billion a year, but Patrick says this money is not going to local, small business owners. It’s going to businesses “controlled behind the scenes of the cannabis industry.”
READ MORE: Texas THC ban: Austin cannabis company claims Lt. Gov. Patrick ‘blatantly lied’ about product
“So, number one, we’re not putting small businesses out of business. We’re putting an entire industry out,” Patrick said. “They all look the same, basically. Again, there’s some independent people in there, but the majority of these are run by various cannabis organizations, and they’ve taken over Texas, and they made these THC smoke and vape shops basically nothing but a drug deal.”
Will Gov. Greg Abbott sign Senate Bill 3?
While the THC ban passed the Texas House and Senate, it still sits on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk awaiting a signature.
The governor hasn’t given any indication of whether he’ll sign the bill.
What they’re saying:
At a bill signing for bail reform on Tuesday, Abbott was asked if he would sign Senate Bill 3.
“It is one of literally more than a thousand bills on my desk,” Abbott said Tuesday. “All of which need my careful consideration and evaluation and I will give all those pieces of legislation the consideration and time that they deserve.”
On Thursday, Patrick did not indicate if he thought Abbott would sign the bill.
“He’s very familiar with this issue. He has a thousand bills on his desk,” Patrick said. “He has 20 days, I think left roughly, maybe a few less during his veto period. I’ll let the governor speak for himself.”
Opposition to SB3
The other side:
The debate over banning THC has brought out opposition to the bill.
Opponents like veterans and hemp farmers held a news conference on Monday calling for Abbott to veto the bill.
Some vets say it has provided them with a better medical solution than pills.
Veterans of Foreign Wars State Commissioner, Dave Walden spoke against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s press conference last Wednesday pushing for a statewide THC ban.
“He (Lt. Gov) says hemp is dangerous. He says we need to crack down, but what he’s really saying is that veterans like me don’t deserve relief unless it comes with a prescription pad and a pill bottle. That is shameful, that is reckless, and it is un-American,” said Walden.
The bill faced opposition in the House as well.
Midlothian Republican Rep. Brian Harrison has called for Abbott to veto the bill.
“While I appreciate the intent behind SB3, it is an overly broad approach to achieving its goal of protecting children from harmful products; a goal I support,” Harrison said. “I believe SB3 unnecessarily grows government, restricts the freedom of adults, and may have serious and harmful unintended consequences such as shuttering thousands of small businesses and pushing adults, who want or rely on hemp products, to more addictive and deadly pharmaceuticals or to the black market. SB3 exceeds the proper role of government and may ban many products that President Trump legalized in 2018. I voted no. For liberty.”
Texas medical marijuana expansion
Dig deeper:
Lawmakers this session voted to expand the state’s compassionate use program to include people in hospice and those with chronic pain as defined by the Texas Medical Board.
The expansion would allow for new changes in how THC can be delivered by approving aerosol and vapor products, like vape pens. Current law only allows for products that can be swallowed.
Texas originally passed a bill in 2015 to allow doctors to prescribe low-THC marijuana for people with epilepsy.
Over the years, the state legislature has added more qualifying conditions to the program.
Here is a list of the qualifying conditions currently under Texas’ Compassionate-Use Program:
EpilepsySeizure disorderMultiple sclerosisSpasticityAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)AutismCancerIncurable neurodegenerative diseasePost-traumatic stress disorderA medical condition that is approved for a research program
The Source: Quotes from Lt. Gov. Patrick come from a LiveNOW from FOX interview on Friday, June 6, 2025. Comments made by Gov. Abbott come from a June 4, 2025, news conference. Information on opposition to SB3 comes from previous FOX reporting. Information on the Texas compassionate use program comes from previous FOX reporting.
“}]] Patrick called the influx of stores selling synthetic cannabis an “assault on Texas.” Read More
