According to a recent poll conducted by a GOP pollster associated with Donald Trump, Texas Democratic and Republican voter are united in opposing a bill that is on the Governor’s desk. The measure would prohibit hemp-based products with traces of THC.
Greg Abbott (R) weighs the controversial proposal, which advocates and stakeholders say would decimate the state’s hemp industry. The poll from Fabrizio, Lee & Associates found that it is opposed by both parties. Greg Abbott (R) weighs the controversial proposal—which advocates and stakeholders say would effectively decimate the state’s hemp industry—the poll from the firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates found the measure is opposed across party lines. Majorities of Democrats (80%) and independents (66%), along with a plurality among Republicans (44%), oppose the proposal.
According to the memo, “Seven-in-ten Texas voters want THC-derived hemp products to remain legal, with restrictions like warning labels and age limits, whereas only sixteen percent say it should be outright banned.” The polling memo says that Republicans want hemp to be legalized by a large margin of 59 percent to 23 percent, and even more Independents or Democrats prefer a legalized status with restrictions over an outright prohibition.
In a separate poll, in addition to the 59 per cent of GOP voters that said they wanted hemp to remain legal, 83 per cent of Democrats and 73% of Independents also agreed.
The bill was well-known among voters. 52 percent said they had seen or read about the proposal to ban hemp.
When asked if their knowledge of the law made them feel “more favorable or less favorable towards the Texas State Legislature”, 57 percent responded that it did. Only 6 percent replied more favorably.
The polling company said that “Texas Voters across Party Lines want hemp to be legal, and they are clearly opposed to Governor Abbott signing into law the bill which bans hemp.” The polling firm said that a narrow majority had heard of the hemp ban passed by the State House. It is damaging the image of the Legislature and may cost them at the ballot box. By vetoing the unpopular bill, the Governor will avoid a similar fate. He’ll also get the credit from all sides of the political spectrum.
It was conducted between 28 May and 29 June, with +/-4 percent error.
Earlier this year, Fabrizio, Lee & Associates also polled Americans on a series of broader marijuana policy issues. Notably, it found that a majority of Republicans back cannabis rescheduling—and, notably, they’re even more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal interference compared to the average voter.
Tony Fabrizio was the firm’s principal and served as pollster in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, along with his 2024 bid.
Governor Abbott has yet to make a decision regarding the Texas Hemp Bill.
“I’ll tell you this: Listen, there are meaningful positions and concerns on both sides of the issue, and I’ll look into all of those and evaluate all of those,” he told reporters during a Q & A session on Monday following a bill signing ceremony for an unrelated measure.
That largely echoes comments Abbott made earlier this month, when he said SB 3 “is one of literally more than a thousand bills on my desk—all of which need my careful consideration and evaluation.”
Also this month, hemp advocates and stakeholders delivered more than 100,000 petition signatures asking Abbott to veto the measure. Critics of the bill have said the industry—which employs an estimated 53,000 people—would be effectively eliminated if the measure becomes law.
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Texas lawmakers approved the sale of hemp-based products in 2019. This was after the federal Farm Bill of 2018, which Trump had signed and that legalized this plant throughout the United States. That’s led to an explosion of products—including edibles, drinks, vape products and cured flower—sold by an estimated 8,000 retailers.
Military veterans advocates, including Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, have also called on the governor to veto the hemp ban, saying it “would cause irreversible harm to communities across the state.”
Farmers have also said the prohibition would devastate a key sector of the state’s agriculture industry.
Meanwhile, a recent poll commissioned the Texas Hemp Business Council (THBC) found that Texas Republican primary voters oppose the proposal to ban hemp products containing THC.
Please read the following polling memo about the Texas hemp prohibition:
Trump’s VA Head Visits Psychedelics Research Center, Reiterating ‘Promise’ To Explore Benefits For Military Veterans
Brendan Cleak provided the photo.
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