Texas Veterans Advocates are appealing to Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is a Republican, has vowed to veto a bill that would ban all hemp-derived products with detectable THC. He said the legislation would hurt veterans, seniors and medical patients.
Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars posted on Facebook on Wednesday that “Banning hemp legal would have irreversible effects on communities throughout the state.” They drew attention to the petition sent by Abbott earlier this week urging him to reject it. Stand up for your livelihoods and rights.
Texas Hemp Business Council, an industry trade group, has submitted the petition. The bill’s critics claim that the Texas hemp industry is worth about $8 billion and would suffer if it became law. According to the group, Texas’s cannabis industry is home to 53,000 employees.
In the petition, it is stated that “We as citizens from Texas undersigned, urge Governor Abbott not to accept SB 3 or any other proposals which would prohibit products containing hemp.” Hemp is not a danger, but a valuable resource that can help Texans live healthier and more fulfilled lives.
SB 3 will deny Texans natural options for the treatment of chronic pain, sleep disorders, anxiety and other health conditions throughout Texas, it says. A hemp ban would also harm small businesses in Texas and Texas farmers who depend on the production of hemp for their livelihoods.
The petition suggests that rather than banning products, lawmakers should support “additional, thoughtful regulations, such as purchasing age limits and packaging resistant to children, which ensures product safety while not eliminating these products from the market for Texans.”
By Thursday afternoon the petition already had over 90,000 signatories.
Texas legislators approved the sale of hemp-based products in 2019. This was after the Farm Bill 2018 passed by the federal government, which had legalized this plant across the country. That’s led to an explosion of products—including edibles, drinks, vape products and cured flower—sold by an estimated 8,000 retailers.
The governor’s spokesperson declined to give any details on Abbott’s bill last week, stating only that the “legislation sent to his office will be thoughtfully reviewed.”
The Texas Senate, meanwhile, approved on Tuesday a bill passed by the House to expand Texas’ medical marijuana program.
Rep. Cody Harris’ (R) measure would expand the list of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana to include chronic and severe pain. It also allows patients receiving palliative care or hospice treatment at end-of life access to medical marijuana.
According to the House’s bill, the list of current conditions was extended by including glaucoma (especially in the case of a traumatic head injury), spinal neuropathy and Crohn’s Disease or any other form of inflammatory intestinal disease. These conditions were then removed by the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Senator State Affairs Committee members had removed chronic pain as well, provoking criticism by proponents. Rep. Tom Oliverson(R) was among those criticizing the decision, claiming that the committee and Lt. Dan Patrick (R), presiding Officer of the Senate.
But while Patrick disputed the characterization of their conversation, the lieutenant governor and lawmakers ultimately reached a deal to reinsert the condition into the bill with an amendment that passed on the floor, among others.
As the Senate amended the House bill, the House of Representatives will have to give their consent before it can be sent to Governor’s Desk.
If ultimately enacted, the bill would build upon Texas’s current, limited medical marijuana program, which allows patients with one of eight qualifying condition access certain non-smokable cannabis products containing no more than 0.5 percent THC by dry weight.
A recent poll found that four in five Texas voters want to see marijuana legalized in some form, and most also want to see regulations around cannabis relaxed.
Meanwhile in Texas, a House committee approved a Senate-passed bill earlier this month that would prohibit cities from putting any citizen initiative on local ballots that would decriminalize marijuana or other controlled substances—as several localities have already done despite lawsuits from the state attorney general.
Under the proposal, state law would be amended to say that local entities “may not place an item on a ballot, including a municipal charter or charter amendment, that would provide that the local entity will not fully enforce” state drug laws.
While several courts have previously upheld local cannabis decriminalization laws, an appellate court comprised of three conservative justices appointed by the governor has recently pushed back against two of those rulings, siding with the state in its legal challenge to the marijuana policy in Austin and San Marcos.
Despite the ongoing litigation and advancement of the House and Senate bills, Texas activists have their targets set on yet another city, Kyle, where they hope put an initiative before voters to enact local marijuana reform at the ballot this coming November.
Separately this month, House lawmakers also passed a measure to support research on the therapeutic potential of ibogaine with the aim of encouraging federal approval of the psychedelic.
This bill, SB 2308 would establish a grant program under the Health and Human Services Commission of California (HHSC), to fund clinical trials that explore ibogaine for treatment options for those with opioid use disorders (OUDs) and serious mental conditions.
Earlier this month, meanwhile, the Texas House also gave final passage to a pair of bills designed to ensure speedy access to psychedelic-assisted therapy in the event of federal approval from Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A new report finds that states have generated nearly $25 billion in marijuana tax revenue since the first markets opened.