After a weekend veto from Governor Greg Abbott on a controversial bill that would have banned all THC consumables in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick addressed the public on Monday afternoon.
Abbott’s veto puts him at odds with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who had made the THC ban one of his top priorities.
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“With this veto, he has now put us in a box,” Patrick said during the news conference.
The announcement comes a day after Gov. Abbott rejected Senate Bill 3, which aimed to ban consumable products containing THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. The bill targeted popular gummies, vapes, and other hemp-derived items sold across the state.
Abbott has called for a special session after he proposed strict regulations during a special session starting July 21 on THC products, similar to those regarding alcohol.
The governor was under immense political pressure from both sides of the aisle.
“It puzzles me why my friend Greg Abbott, at the last minute, about 22 minutes after 11, decide to veto this bill,” Patrick stated. “I know he gave the reasons in his proclamations but our team simply doesn’t agree with those reasons, and we’ll talk through that.”
The bill faced backlash from conservatives who said it would hurt Texas’s hemp industry, cost jobs, and fuel black-market sales.
MORE INFO: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s push to ban THC in Texas draws rare backlash from the right
Patrick has spent months pushing for the ban, framing it as a way to protect children from unregulated, high-potency THC products. The move, however, has drawn backlash from veteran groups, business owners, and even some Republican lawmakers, who said it contradicted Texas’s pro-business values.
Patrick said he is surprised that that “governor of the state of Texas wants to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. That’s the headline folks.”
He said he’s very concerned that Texas will go through this period of time that shops selling THC products will stay open.
Abbott has called for a special session after he proposed strict regulations during a special session starting July 21 on THC products, similar to those regarding alcohol. The governor was under immense political pressure from both sides of the aisle.
After the veto, Abbott released a statement saying it was “well-intentioned,” but would “never go into effect because of valid constitutional challenges.”
Instead, Gov. Abbott proposed a list of regulations, such as:
- Selling or providing a THC products to a minor must be punishable as a crime.
- Sales must be prohibited near schools, churches, parks, playgrounds.
- Packaging must be child-resistant.
- Must not be made, packaged or marketed to attract children.
- Stores must have permits and restrict access to minors under 21, with strict penalties for those who fail to comply.
Texas Tribune reporter Alejandro Serrano contributed to this report.