Texas hemp advocates and stakeholders are rallying in opposition to a bill the legislature passed to outlaw all consumable hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing any detectable THC—delivering more than 100,000 petition signatures asking Gov. Greg Abbott (R), to veto this measure.
Cynthia Cabrera of the Texas Hemp Business Council (which represents Texas’ approximately $8 billion hemp sector) said, in a release: “Senate Bill 3 is designed to destroy this vibrant, legitimate industry.” The bill is now awaiting Governor Abbott’s review. “We respectfully ask him to carefully consider all the facts and listen to our plea, then make a logical decision by vetoing SB 3.”
Cabrera stated at a Monday press conference that she wanted “to address the misinformation and misdirection of the industry by Sen. Charles Perry, (D) and Lt. Governor. Dan Patrick, the Republican Senate presiding official and strong advocate for this legislation.
“SB 3 is a violation of the Texas principles that we hold dear: freedom, liberty and small government,” said she. We ask Governor Abbott to keep his promise to the small business owners, women entrepreneurs, and all Texans who value freedom.
Critics of the bill have said the industry—which employs an estimated 53,000 people—would be decimated if the measure becomes law.
“Make no mistake, the idea that ‘no one knows what’s in these products’ is false,” Cabrera said, responding to the lieutenant governor’s arguments in support of SB 3. Since 2006, Texas has required third-party testing and labeling. This scare tactic is designed solely to scare legislators into support an agenda which they never asked for.
Rather than outlaw products outright, the petition from the Texas Hemp Business Council, which has now been signed by more than 120,000 people, says the legislature should “support additional, thoughtful regulation, such as age restrictions for purchasing, and child- resistant packaging, that ensure product safety without the elimination of these products for Texans.”
Texas lawmakers 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.
Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars and other veterans’ advocates have called for the governor to overturn the ban on hemp, stating that it would “cause irreversible damage to communities throughout the state.”
Farmers say the ban will also destroy an important sector in the agriculture industry of this state.
A spokesperson for Abbott declined last month to provide details about the plan he had for the legislation, instead stating that “he will thoughtfully review all legislation submitted to his desk.”
The opponents of SB 3 also held a separate news conference, in which Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas, a group that supports the bill, condemned the hemp-growing industry. The hemp industry has been claiming that THC is not harmful to anyone for years. One speaker stated they’re “sick of it” and said marijuana was even more dangerous.
In Texas, the state legislature passed a law this week that creates a research consortium that will conduct clinical trials of ibogaine to treat substance abuse disorders and mental illnesses. The goal is to develop a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
—
MEDCAN24 tracks hundreds of marijuana, psychedelics, and drug policy legislation in state legislatures this year. Patreon subscribers who donate at least $25/month have access to the interactive maps and charts as well as our hearing calendar.
Discover more about the marijuana bills tracker. Become a patron on Patreon and you will have access.
—
Last month, meanwhile, the Texas House passed a pair of bills designed to ensure speedy access to psychedelic-assisted therapy in the event of FDA approval, but they did not clear the Senate by the end of the session.
More recently, lawmakers over the weekend passed a bill to significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana program, sending it to the governor.
Over the weekend, bicameral negotiators reached a compromise after the Senate passed the bill from Rep. Ken King. The amendments diluted the House’s original proposal. Each chamber then gave its final approval Sunday.
The final version of the bill—which cleared the House on a 138-1 vote and the Senate by a vote of 31-0—would expand the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care to use marijuana.
Separately in Texas, a House committee approved a Senate-passed bill last 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.
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.
California Assembly passes marijuana tax delay bill unanimously for 5 years
Brendan Cleak is the photographer.