Patrick-Backed THC Ban Clears Senate, Again
- For the second time this year, the Texas Senate has passed legislation banning the sale of THC products. Brandon Waltens has the details.
- During the regular legislative session, members of the Senate and House voted to ban THC-infused products. Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed that legislation, and then put on the agenda of this special session a call to regulate those products. The governor has since said he only wants “nonintoxicating hemp” on the market.
- Yesterday, the Senate voted to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and possession of consumable hemp products that contain any form of THC while still allowing products that contain only CBD or CBG. This legislation, authored by State Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), essentially mirrors what was passed in the spring.
- Perry portrayed the legislation as necessary to eliminate products that were never intended to be legal under a 2019 law permitting hemp cultivation in Texas. He dismissed concerns about widespread economic disruption, noting that only a small portion of Texas farmland has been used to grow hemp and that many stores selling these products already had existing business models before the 2019 law.
- The Texas House, where an essentially identical measure has been filed, has not yet taken up the issue in this special session.