Abbott faces political heat over THC crackdown
- Jason Beck
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
Jun 4, 2025
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."
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