Trump’s Pollster Says Texas Hemp Ban Bill Faces ‘Bipartisan Opposition’ From Voters As Governor Nears Deadline To Act

Texas Democratic and Republican voters are unified in their opposition to a
bill on the governor’s desk that would ban consumable hemp products with
any trace of THC, according to a new poll from a GOP pollster affiliated
with President Donald Trump.

As Gov. Greg Abbott (R) weighs the controversial proposal—which advocates
and stakeholders say would effectively decimate the state’s hemp
industry—the poll from the firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates found the
measure is opposed across party lines. A majority of Democrats (80 percent)
and independents (66 percent), as well as a plurality of Republicans (44
percent) said they don’t want the governor to sign it.

“When given a head-to-head choice, 7-in-10 Texas voters say they want
hemp-derived consumable THC to remain legal in Texas with strict
regulations like age restrictions and warning labels, while only 16 percent
want it to be banned outright,” the polling memo says. “Republicans want
hemp to remain legal by a substantial 59 percent-23 percent margin, with
even bigger shares of Independents and Democrats choosing remain legal with
regulations over an outright ban.”

In addition to the 59 percent of GOP voters who want hemp to stay legal in
a separate question, 83 percent of Democrats and 73 percent of independents
said the same.

There was notably high awareness of the bill among voters, with 52 percent
of Texans saying they’ve seen, read or heard about the hemp ban proposal.

Asked whether their understanding of the legislation made them “more or
less favorable toward the Texas State Legislature,” 57 percent said it left
them feeling less favorable, compared to just 6 percent who said more
favorable.

“Texas voters across party lines want hemp to remain legal and clearly
oppose Governor Abbott signing the bill banning hemp into law,” the polling
firm said. “A narrow majority have already heard about the ban passing the
state house, and it’s hurting the legislature’s image and could cost them
in the ballot box. The Governor can avoid the same fate and get credit
across the political spectrum by vetoing this unpopular bill.”

The survey involved interviews with 600 registered Texas voters from May
28-29, with a +/-4 percentage point margin of error.

Earlier this year, Fabrizio, Lee & Associates also polled Americans on a
series of broader marijuana policy issues. Notably, it found that a
majority of Republicans back cannabis rescheduling—and, notably, they’re
even more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without
federal interference compared to the average voter.

Tony Fabrizio, the polling firm’s principal, served as pollster for Trump’s
2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns.

On the Texas hemp issue, the governor still hasn’t made a decision on the
bill.

“I’ll tell you this: Listen, there are meaningful positions and concerns on
both sides of the issue, and I’ll look into all of those and evaluate all
of those,” he told reporters during a Q & A session on Monday following a
bill signing ceremony for an unrelated measure.

That largely echoes comments Abbott made earlier this month, when he said
SB 3 “is one of literally more than a thousand bills on my desk—all of
which need my careful consideration and evaluation.”

Also this month, hemp advocates and stakeholders delivered more than
100,000 petition signatures asking Abbott to veto the measure. Critics of
the bill have said the industry—which employs an estimated 53,000
people—would be effectively eliminated if the measure becomes law.


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Texas lawmakers legalized the sale of consumable hemp in 2019, following
enactment of the 2018 federal Farm Bill that Trump signed, 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
also 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.

Meanwhile, a recent poll commissioned the Texas Hemp Business Council
(THBC) found that Texas Republican primary voters oppose the proposal to
ban hemp products containing THC.

*Read the polling memo on the Texas hemp ban below:*

Trump’s VA Head Visits Psychedelics Research Center, Reiterating ‘Promise’
To Explore Benefits For Military Veterans

*Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak.*

The post Trump’s Pollster Says Texas Hemp Ban Bill Faces ‘Bipartisan
Opposition’ From Voters As Governor Nears Deadline To Act appeared first on Marijuana
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