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In a press conference that veered into awkward sketch comedy in Austin, Texas, yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick railed at reporters over a table full of THC snack products sold in the state as he demanded the media alter their reporting on Senate Bill 3, which he’s called “the most important bill this session” – an effort to effectively ban the sale of any THC products in the state.
“This is everything you can buy at a smoke shop and a vape shop that will either cause potentially paranoia, schizophrenia (or) tremendous health issues,” Patrick said. “Why have I called you here today? Because I don’t think the media has taken this issue seriously. I don’t think the story has been told. You talk about jobs being lost, you talk about a big industry, a big industry selling all of this to kids.”
Patrick, whose effort could still be vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott, invited the press under the auspices of “end-of-session beverages and snacks,” ended up flinging a bag of cereal bites in frustration at a reporter, saying: “I don’t think you want it. You wouldn’t dare buy it. You wouldn’t let your children, your grandchildren buy it. And by the way, come September, all this will be illegal anyway, so I’ll be turning this over to the police before I leave here.”
Patrick invoked the flavor of THC and CBD mango and peach gummies, and their form, such as gummy worms, as proof that the industry is purposefully targeting products at children, not adults. He also claimed that no adult should be purchasing these products either – that no one knows what’s really in them, and that they can cause mental damage and schizophrenia – claims the industry strongly disputes.
Patrick’s crusade for a ban puts Abbott and Texas Republicans in a difficult position. The state’s $8 billion THC industry, which currently employs ten of thousands of Texans, has enormous support from the veteran community and others who purchase THC products as an alternative to opioids or other addictive pain management drugs. And the push for a ban is directly at odds with the views of Texans according to polling from the University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Politics Project:
In April, polling by the organization found 50 percent of Texas voters opposed an outright ban, while just 34 percent expressed support. The share who said they strongly opposed the ban was also more than double those who said they strongly supported a ban, 35 percent-17 percent. Meanwhile, 51 percent of Texas voters supported legalizing at least a small amount of legal marijuana. Only 15 percent said it should not be legal.
For decades, Texas Democrats have been trying to find a path to turning the state blue, seeking openings on abortion, immigration and other issues as key to unlocking a potential backlash to Republican rule. Patrick’s unpopular effort could finally provide that path, as well as angering many who flocked to Texas in recent years fleeing the authoritarian policies of blue states. And a crackdown on products this ubiquitous and popular in the state will require a heavy amount of enforcement to be at all effective. Maybe the Texas Rangers can start by frisking people outside of Joe Rogan’s Mothership?
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