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Greg Abbott vetoes Texas THC ban, saving hemp industry in rare break with lawmakers
Dan Patrick pushed the THC ban. There are rumors that Abbott and Patrick are having some behind the scenes fights
Link to tweet
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/thc-ban-greg-abbott-veto-20359221.php
Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday vetoed Texas’ proposed ban on THC, splitting with lawmakers in a shock move that saves the state’s booming hemp industry and kills one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top priorities.
The governor issued the veto less than an hour before the deadline late Sunday night and did not immediately issue a statement. The veto was a rare example of public discord between the two GOP leaders after a legislative session otherwise marked by conservative wins, and it comes after intense opposition to the ban from a coalition of hemp advocates, including business owners, veterans’ groups and liquor stores.
Right now, there are no age limits or marketing rules for products with hemp-derived THC. And while stores that sell consumable hemp must register with the state, only three officials at the Department of State Health Services are tasked with inspecting more than 8,500 locations statewide.
Abbott had been quiet on the issue for months, repeatedly declining to comment as Patrick, who leads the state Senate, went on a messaging campaign to extinguish the industry, including personally confronting hemp store employees and staging press conferences with THC products.
Patrick proclaimed he had “never been more passionate about anything” during his legislative career and at one point threatened to hold up other key legislation if the THC ban did not succeed. But with the legislative session concluded, lawmakers can’t overturn Abbott’s veto, and only Abbott himself has the power to call an overtime session.
The governor issued the veto less than an hour before the deadline late Sunday night and did not immediately issue a statement. The veto was a rare example of public discord between the two GOP leaders after a legislative session otherwise marked by conservative wins, and it comes after intense opposition to the ban from a coalition of hemp advocates, including business owners, veterans’ groups and liquor stores.
Right now, there are no age limits or marketing rules for products with hemp-derived THC. And while stores that sell consumable hemp must register with the state, only three officials at the Department of State Health Services are tasked with inspecting more than 8,500 locations statewide.
Abbott had been quiet on the issue for months, repeatedly declining to comment as Patrick, who leads the state Senate, went on a messaging campaign to extinguish the industry, including personally confronting hemp store employees and staging press conferences with THC products.
Patrick proclaimed he had “never been more passionate about anything” during his legislative career and at one point threatened to hold up other key legislation if the THC ban did not succeed. But with the legislative session concluded, lawmakers can’t overturn Abbott’s veto, and only Abbott himself has the power to call an overtime session.
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