Texas Hemp Advocates Deliver 100,000+ Petitions To Governor’s Office, Urging Him To Veto THC Ban Bill

Texas hemp advocates and stakeholders are rallying in opposition to a bill
the legislature passed to outlaw all consumable hemp-derived cannabinoid
products containing any detectable THC—delivering more than 100,000
petition signatures asking Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to veto the measure.

“Senate Bill 3 was designed to destroy a vibrant and legitimate industry,”
Cynthia Cabrera, president of Texas Hemp Business Council, which represents
the state’s roughly $8 billion hemp industry, said in a press release. “The
bill now awaits review by Governor Abbott. We respectfully urge him to
consider the facts, listen to our appeal and make the logical decision to
veto SB 3.”

At a press conference on Monday, Cabrera said she wanted to “address the
misinformation, misdirection and maligning of this industry” by the bill
sponsor, Sen. Charles Perry (D), and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who serves
as presiding officer of the Senate and strongly advocated for the
legislation.

“SB 3 violates the very principles Texas prides itself on: small
government, individual freedom and free enterprise,” she said. “Governor
Abbott, we ask that you keep your promise to small businesses, to women
entrepreneurs and to every Texan who values freedom.”

Critics of the bill have said the industry—which employs an estimated
53,000 people—would be decimated if the measure becomes law.

“Make no mistake, the idea that ‘no one knows what’s in these products’ is
false,” Cabrera said, responding to the lieutenant governor’s arguments in
support of SB 3. “For the past six years, Texas law has mandated
third-party lab testing and clear labeling. The only goal of these scare
tactics is to frighten legislators and the public into going along with an
agenda they did not ask for.”

Rather than outlaw products outright, the petition from the Texas Hemp
Business Council, which has now been signed by more than 120,000 people,
says the legislature should “support additional, thoughtful regulation,
such as age restrictions for purchasing, and child- resistant packaging,
that ensure product safety without the elimination of these products for
Texans.”

Texas lawmakers legalized the sale of consumable hemp in 2019, following
enactment of the 2018 federal Farm Bill, which legalized the plant
nationwide. That’s led to an explosion of products—including edibles,
drinks, vape products and cured flower—sold by an estimated 8,000 retailers.

Texans don’t take freedom lightly.

Thousands of letters. One clear message: @GregAbbott_TX, #VetoSB3. #txlege
pic.twitter.com/3GMlDzXWKp

— Texas Hemp Business Council (@TexasHempBiz) June 2, 2025

Military veterans advocates, including Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, have
called on the governor to veto the hemp ban, saying it “would cause
irreversible harm to communities across the state.”

Farmers have also said the prohibition would devastate a key sector of the
state’s agriculture industry.

Last month, a spokesperson for the governor declined to detail Abbott’s
plan for the bill, saying only that he “will thoughtfully review any
legislation sent to his desk.”

On the other side of the debate, supporters of SB 3 held a separate press
conference on Monday, where representatives of the organization Citizens
for a Safe and Healthy Texas condemned the hemp industry. One speaker said
they are “sick and tired of the hemp industry stating no one dies from THC”
and claimed that cannabis is more dangerous than alcohol.

Meanwhile in Texas, the legislature this week passed a bill that would create
a state-backed research consortium to conduct clinical trials on ibogaine
as a possible treatment for substance use disorders and other mental health
conditions, with the goal of developing a drug that would win U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) approval.


*— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug
policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon
supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps,
charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.*


*Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on
Patreon to get access. —*

Last month, meanwhile, the Texas House passed a pair of bills designed to ensure
speedy access to psychedelic-assisted therapy in the event of FDA approval,
but they did not clear the Senate by the end of the session.

More recently, lawmakers over the weekend passed a bill to significantly
expand the state’s medical marijuana program, sending it to the governor.

Just days after the legislation from Rep. Ken King (R) advanced through the
Senate, with amendments that watered down the original House proposal,
bicameral negotiators worked out a compromise over the weekend and then
each chamber gave final approval on Sunday.

The final version of the bill—which cleared the House on a 138-1 vote and
the Senate by a vote of 31-0—would expand the state’s list of medical
cannabis qualifying conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain
injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while
also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care to use
marijuana.

Separately in Texas, a House committee approved a Senate-passed bill last
month that would prohibit cities from putting any citizen initiative on
local ballots that would decriminalize marijuana or other controlled
substances—as several localities have already done despite lawsuits from
the state attorney general.

Under the proposal, state law would be amended to say that local entities
“may not place an item on a ballot, including a municipal charter or
charter amendment, that would provide that the local entity will not fully
enforce” state drug laws.

While several courts have previously upheld local cannabis
decriminalization laws, an appellate court comprised of three conservative
justices appointed by the governor has recently pushed back against two of
those rulings, siding with the state in its legal challenge to the
marijuana policy in Austin and San Marcos.

Despite the ongoing litigation and advancement of the House and Senate
bills, Texas activists have their targets set on yet another city, Kyle,
where they hope put an initiative before voters to enact local marijuana
reform at the ballot this coming November.

A recent poll found that four in five Texas voters want to see marijuana
legalized in some form, and most also want to see regulations around
cannabis relaxed.

California Assembly Unanimously Passes Bill To Delay Marijuana Tax Hike For
Five Years

*Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak.*

The post Texas Hemp Advocates Deliver 100,000+ Petitions To Governor’s
Office, Urging Him To Veto THC Ban Bill appeared first on Marijuana Moment.