Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Pushes for Texas THC Ban Amid Mixed Support

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick isn’t giving an inch on his push to ban THC products in Texas.

Despite polls showing middling support for the ban from GOP primary voters and backlash by conservative talk radio hosts who are usually on his side, the Houston Republican has been touring the state to tout all of the Texas Legislature’s accomplishments and in the process, explain why he’s trying to ban THC.

"It’s very potent; it’s very dangerous," Patrick said during a stop in Wichita Falls on Tuesday, one of 12 stops he made early in the week.

As the leader of the Texas Senate, Patrick was the leading force in passing Senate Bill 3, which aims to ban all THC products in Texas starting in September. The bill passed the Texas Senate and Texas House. Now, Gov. Greg Abbott, also a Republican, has to decide whether to let the ban become law or veto it.

"Law enforcement across the state says we need to ban it and we passed a bill to ban it," Patrick said.

Patrick has consistently said companies selling THC have exploited a loophole in the state’s hemp bill that was never intended to allow the legalization of THC. Texas now has more than 8,500 retailers selling those THC products, many of which can produce the high traditionally associated with marijuana, which is banned in the state except for certain medical uses.

He said those new stores are often popping up near schools and trying to hook underage users on the products.

Patrick said he’s never smoked marijuana before, but said he’s been told the THC products today are more potent than what people may have smoked 20 or 30 years ago.

Patrick’s tour comes as Abbott is weighing what he will do. He's facing pressure from the hemp industry and people who use the products, including veterans groups, to reject the ban. On Wednesday, Abbott told me he’s going to weigh arguments from both sides of the issue and use his background as a judge in Houston and on the Texas Supreme Court to make a final call on whether to sign SB3 or veto it.

He has until June 22 to veto the bill, otherwise, it will go into law even if he does not sign it.