Texas will not kill the state’s booming hemp THC industry after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Sunday evening vetoed a bill to ban THC throughout the state. Championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) — who made banning hemp-derived THC his top priority for the year — Senate Bill 3 would have banned products containing any amount of THC, even when sourced from industrial hemp.
The governor was under intense pressure to veto the bill from hemp advocates, veteran groups, and business owners. Despite passing both legislative bodies and garnering support from most of the state’s conservative lawmakers, recent polling showed the proposed ban was not popular even among Republican voters. Advocates additionally said they delivered over 180,000 petition signatures and over 5,000 handwritten letters this month asking the governor to veto the proposal.
The veto came less than an hour ahead of the deadline for the governor’s decision on the issue.
Lt. Gov. Patrick attacked Abbott following the veto, writing on X:
“Throughout the legislative session, @GregAbbott_TX remained totally silent on Senate Bill 3, the bill that would have banned dangerous THC products in Texas. His late-night veto, on an issue supported by 105 of 108 Republicans in the