When Prohibition Sounds Like a Bad Business Plan

Original High At 9 News Story

By: Stone Slade

06-12-2025

You know, I’ve been around long enough to watch politicians ban, un-ban, re-ban, and then sort of ban things again. It’s one of their favorite hobbies. But the latest episode playing out in Texas might just be one of the dumbest sequels yet.

Right now, sitting on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk is Senate Bill 3, the bill that would ban most hemp-based THC products in Texas. You know, the products that thousands of Texans have legally been using since 2019 when Texas happily jumped into the hemp game. Back then, politicians were patting themselves on the back for embracing free markets and farming opportunities. Apparently, that love affair has now run its course.

Abbott says he’s still “thoughtfully considering” the bill, which is politician-speak for: I’m trying to figure out which way the political wind is blowing before I pick a side. Meanwhile, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who basically acts like THC gummies are the devil in candy form, has made banning these products one of his top legislative priorities. He claims these products are circumventing the law and putting children’s lives in danger.

Now let’s pause there for a moment because that’s always the go-to playbook, isn’t it? The kids. Every time. Never mind that alcohol, fully legal and heavily advertised, kills about 90 people a month in Texas alone from alcohol-related crashes. Or that we lose over 1,000 Texans every year to alcohol-related deaths. But let’s keep pretending that a Delta-8 gummy is somehow the bigger threat to public safety.

The thing is, Texans aren’t buying it, and I mean that literally and figuratively.

Two separate, independent polls, one commissioned by the Texas Hemp Business Council and the other by Baselice & Associates, show that Republican voters, the very people Abbott and Patrick claim to represent, aren’t exactly rallying behind this ban. In fact, 47% of Texas Republican primary voters say they oppose banning hemp. Only 37% support it. And it gets even worse for Patrick when you look at the bigger picture. Sixty-eight percent of likely Texas voters overall support legal THC hemp products with proper regulations. That includes Republicans, Independents, young voters, seniors, even households with military veterans.

And here’s a little kicker from the poll. Seventy-two percent of Republican primary voters believe military veterans should have access to THC products as an alternative to opioids. You know, those opioids that actually do destroy lives and entire communities. But apparently it’s easier to demonize hemp than deal with actual drug problems.

The Texas Hemp Business Council even showed up at the Governor’s mansion with 5,000 handwritten letters and a petition signed by 118,000 Texans asking Abbott to veto the bill. That’s not some fringe movement. That’s a pretty loud group of your own voters trying to stop you from making a huge mistake.

Now let’s talk business because that’s really what this is about. Texas has more than 8,600 licensed hemp retail locations. Over 53,000 Texans have jobs connected to this industry. If Abbott signs SB 3, many of those jobs disappear overnight. And just like we’ve seen in every prohibition attempt throughout history from alcohol to cannabis to who knows what next, the black market will simply step in to fill the gap. In fact, 55% of Republican primary voters said exactly that, a ban will just boost illegal sales. Another 53% said it’ll create more opportunities for drug cartels. I guess the cartels are probably watching this vote more closely than anyone right now.

But here we are again, watching Texas lawmakers try to shove a round peg into a square hole. Cannabis, whether hemp-derived or marijuana, just doesn’t fit neatly into the old “sin” category like alcohol or tobacco. Those products poison you. Cannabis, on the other hand, works directly with your body’s endocannabinoid system. It helps people manage anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, inflammation, and PTSD. You can’t overdose on it, and if you take too much you might sleep really well or order too much DoorDash, but you’re not dying in a ditch on I-35.

Even Gov. Abbott himself admitted that people are using these products instead of alcohol, opioids, and other pharmaceuticals. But instead of leaning into that reality, his administration is thoughtfully considering whether to create an even bigger mess by banning them entirely.

You’ve got veterans begging for access. Small business owners fighting to keep their doors open. Voters, not activists but actual Republican primary voters, saying they want regulation, not prohibition. And yet, somehow, the loudest voices in the room are still the ones pretending this is about protecting children.

At some point, you have to wonder, who are they really protecting? Because it sure doesn’t seem like it’s the people of Texas.

Governor Abbott, the ball’s in your court. Let’s hope your thoughtful consideration leads you back to reality.