Texas Republican Voters Oppose Hemp Ban Bill That’s Pending On Governor’s Desk, Poll Shows

Texas Republican primary voters oppose a proposal to ban hemp products
containing THC that lawmakers recent sent to the governor’s desk, according
to a new poll.

While Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has declined to say how he’ll act on SB 3—which
advocates and stakeholders say would decimate the state’s hemp industry—the
policy change evidently isn’t being embraced by voters, including a
plurality of Republicans (47 percent) who voiced opposition, the survey
from Ragnar Research Partners, commissioned the Texas Hemp Business Council
(THBC), found.

The council said opposition to the proposal is “even stronger among those
who have an active-duty or former member of the military in their
household.”

Further, the poll showed that 72 percent of Republican voters feels that
veterans should have access to THC products as an alternative to opioids.
Another 53 percent said the proposed ban under SB 3 will “create
opportunities for drug cartels” and increase illicit market sales.

“Texans do not want SB 3,” Mark Bordas, executive director of THBC said in
a press release on Wednesday. “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 said. “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.”

Overall, 68 percent of Texas primary voters are against the proposed hemp
ban, compared to just 20 percent who back it, a separate survey from March
found.

“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,”
Bordas said. “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,” he said.
“Texans deserve legal choices, not fear-driven policies that push them
toward more dangerous substances.”

The latest survey involved interviews with 800 likely Republican primary
voters from June 2-4, with a +/-4 percentage point margin of error.

THBC separately delivered more than 100,000 petition signatures last week
asking Abbott to veto the measure.

The governor has three options for the proposal: sign it, veto it or allow
it to take effect without his signature. The deadline for his decision is
June 22.

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

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.

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.


*— 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 passed a bill to significantly expand the state’s
medical marijuana program, sending it to the governor.

The measure 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.

South Carolina GOP Governor Says There’s ‘Compelling’ Case For Medical
Marijuana As House Leader Remains Skeptical

*Photo courtesy of Kimzy Nanney.*

The post Texas Republican Voters Oppose Hemp Ban Bill That’s Pending On
Governor’s Desk, Poll Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment.