Polls: Texas Republican Voters Reject Ban on Hemp-Based Products

*AUSTIN, Texas —* Texas Republicans are more likely to oppose than support
Senate Bill 3, the bill banning hemp-based products that awaits a signature
from Gov. Greg Abbott.

A new poll commissioned by the Texas Hemp Business Council (THBC) indicates
47% of Texas Republican primary voters oppose banning hemp, while 37%
support a ban and 16% said they don’t know. It also shows that 45% oppose
banning THC, while 35% support a THC ban and 21% don’t know. Opposition to
a ban is even stronger among those who have an active-duty or former member
of the military in their household.

Despite political claims to the contrary, Texas Republicans and Democrats
do not support banning hemp-derived THC. They want it regulated, restricted
to adults and away from minors. But they do not want prohibition. Two
independent, statistically valid polls have now shown that bans like SB 3
are deeply unpopular, especially among the very voters who will determine
the future of Republican leadership in Texas.

Last week, the Texas Hemp Business Council (THBC) delivered 5,000
handwritten letters and a petition with more than 118,000 signatures to
Abbott, urging him to veto SB 3 and save the 53,000 Texas jobs connected to
hemp.

“Texans do not want SB 3,” said Mark Bordas, executive director of THBC.
“Texans recognize SB 3 for what it is: an attack on the rights and
liberties of Texans that will destroy tens of thousands of jobs. We
respectfully ask the Governor to listen to veterans, small business owners,
Republican primary voters and others who want him to veto this heavy-handed
bill.

“We went out of our way to conduct the most credible poll possible, in
which the segment of the voting population least likely to support our
cause was queried,” he continued. “Even among Republican primary voters, SB
3 and its ban are highly unpopular. This is not a Republican or a Democrat
issue. It’s about preserving economic and individual freedoms, which all
Texans cherish.”

SB 3 would encourage Texans who use hemp-based products to seek those
products through illicit, unsafe markets. It will also create havoc and
uncertainty for farmers, small business owners, and others who have devoted
years of their careers to safe hemp-based products, Bordas said.

The poll was commissioned by THBC and conducted by Texas Republican
pollster Chris Perkins of Ragnar Research Partners. It also found:

More than two-thirds of Republican primary voters (72%) believe military
veterans should be able to access THC products as an alternative to opioids.

53% of Republican primary voters believe a ban will create opportunities
for drug cartels.

55% of Republican primary voters believe a ban will increase black market
sales.

The poll of Texas Republicans reinforces the message of a broader statewide
poll conducted by Baselice & Associates in March: 68% of Texas likely
voters support legal THC hemp products with strict regulations, while just
20% support a ban. Republican voters prefer regulated legality (57%) over
prohibition (29%), and support climbs even higher among independents (72%)
and younger voters (76%), the Baselice poll found. Seniors, too, reject
prohibition by double-digit margins.

“These highly credible polls clearly show where voters stand, while some
groups are pushing false and misleading narratives to support SB 3, hoping
that more Texans would turn to alcohol if hemp-based products were banned,”
said Bordas. “Every month in Texas, nearly 90 lives are lost to
alcohol-related crashes, over 1,000 each year. Nationwide, alcohol ranks
among the leading preventable causes of death. Hemp products, which are
already regulated at the state and federal levels, offer popular
alternative that many Texans rely on. Our industry also continues to
support additional safeguards, including banning sales to anyone under 21
and setbacks from schools. Texans deserve legal choices, not fear-driven
policies that push them toward more dangerous substances.”

The Ragnar Research Partners poll of 800 likely Republican primary voters
was conducted June 2-4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4
percentage points.
About the Texas Hemp Business Council

The Texas Hemp Business Council is an industry organization dedicated to
promoting the hemp-based cannabinoid industry in Texas, while advocating
for consumer safety, education and stakeholder engagement.