What Really is Behind Dan Patrick’s War Against THC?
In a press conference held last week for Senate Bill 3, Dan Patrick declared his intent to "protect the people of Texas from THC." But is the Lieutenant Governor genuinely safeguarding his constituents, or does SB3 mask a different agenda? With Texas grappling with sky-high property taxes, shrinking law enforcement resources, bail reform challenges, and a escalating fentanyl crisis, why has THC emerged as the Lieutenant Governor's primary target in this battle?
This was essentially the same rhetoric and propaganda Texans heard at the 10 hour senate hearing, but we got to hear from Lieutenant Dan himself.
The Lieutenant Governor has labeled THC as "poison," framing it as a critical "life and death issue," and vows to shield Texans from its dangers.
Patrick argues that despite hemp retailers restricting THC sales to those over 21, adults could still purchase these products and pass them on to kids—implying this risk is somehow exclusive to THC.
In an interesting development, Dan Patrick is directly challenging Ken King’s proposed house bill (HB28). HB28 represents the Texas liquor lobby’s push to classify THC beverages under the same three-tier regulatory system as alcohol. Dan insists the ban must encompass "THC sold in liquor stores in drinks, with no exceptions."
While one might have thought the liquor lobby aligned with Dan, it seems a showdown is brewing between Big Pharma (Texas Original / TCUP) and Big Alcohol (led largely by Specs).
More to come
SB3 will be headed to The House for review. I am hearing that the Texas House of Representatives are mostly cannabis friendly and do not support SB3 (apparently they actually represent the will of the people).
Rep Ken King has presented an alternative bill in the house called House Bill 28. HB28 is in process and it’s my understanding that it will be presented in its final form very soon.
The goal of HB28 is to add reasonable regulations to the hemp industry in order to eliminate bad products and bad actors. The hope is that this bill will clean up the hemp market and allow legitimate companies to continue making safe, natural, lab tested hemp-derived THC products for Texans who enjoy or rely on them.