Abbott faces political heat over THC crackdown
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All eyes are on Gov. Greg Abbott as he decides what to do with legislation banning THC.
Why it matters: Gummies and all matters of THC products — along with a multibillion-dollar industry — are on the chopping block.
Catch up quick: The state's 2019 agricultural hemp law opened the door for hemp farming and the sale of products containing less than 0.3% of THC. Business took off for hemp farmers and thousands of small business owners.
- But some Republican lawmakers — led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — are concerned about an unregulated market and THC products reaching children. They're now seeking to shut down the industry.
State of play: On the one hand, Abbott could sign Senate Bill 3 to show he's tough on crime.
- On the other, he's now facing pushback from key Republican constituents and veterans groups, which have urged him to veto the bill.
What they're saying: The Texas Hemp Business Council says it's delivered 5,000 letters to the governor's office and a petition signed by 120,000 people urging Abbott to veto the legislation.
- "If you take away the market that creates the demand that the farmers are upholding, what business do we have left?" asked hemp farmer Colton Luther at a Monday news conference.
- "It is a shame that we are trying to ban these things and take away the market that these farmers depend on to sell their crop," Luther added.
The other side: Patrick said at a news conference last week he's "not worried about the governor."
- "I'm worried about the pressure on the media and the general public to try to keep this going in some way and bring it back," Patrick said.
- "I'm not going to speak for the governor. He will do what he is going to do. I have total confidence in the governor."
What we're watching: On the latest episode of the Houston Chronicle's Texas Take podcast, longtime political watcher Scott Braddock said what Abbott might do next is a "jump ball."
- "It's one of the few times ... I don't know what Abbott's going to do," Braddock said. "Over the course of the last decade of him being in office as governor, he's become pretty predictable. I would say this is [a] jump ball, if he's going to veto this or not."
The bottom line: Abbott, who could veto the bill, sign it or let it become law without a signature, has yet to indicate what he'll do.
- "It is one of literally more than a thousand bills on my desk — all of which need my careful consideration and evaluation," he told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. "I will give all of those pieces of legislation consideration and time they deserve."