U.S. News

On the plus side, Sept. 1 implementation is out the window -- you can't regulate that fast. I'm not sure what the endgame is here, but even a blind squirrel, usw.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday vetoed a contentious state ban on THC products, keeping the Texas hemp industry alive while spiking a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Senate Bill 3 would have banned consumable hemp products that contained any THC, including delta-8 and delta-9.

Abbott, who had remained quiet about the issue throughout the legislative session, rejected the measure just minutes before the veto deadline amid immense political pressure from both sides of the aisle, including from hardline conservatives typically supportive of Patrick’s priorities.

Minutes later, Abbott indicated on social media that he planned to call a special session. Though he did not officially declare a special session nor announce the topics to be covered, legislation to address consumable hemp products could land on the agenda.

Abbott’s veto puts him directly at odds with Patrick, the powerful head of the Senate, who had called the THC ban among his “top five” bills during his 17 years in the Legislature and threatened in February to force a special session if he did not get his way.

Patrick excoriated the veto on social media Sunday, saying Abbott’s “late-night veto” would leave law enforcement and families whose loved ones have been harmed by high-potency products “feeling abandoned.”

Meanwhile, Paxton was too stoned to comment.