NEW: Texas Hemp Industry Pushes Back as Dan Patrick Seeks Blanket Ban

What began as a lifeline for veterans and a boost for rural farmers is now at risk. Texas lawmakers are weighing proposals that could dismantle the state’s legal hemp economy.

At the center of the debate is a legislative standoff between Governor Greg Abbott, who supports basic regulation of the industry, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who wants to ban hemp-based products altogether.

Governor Abbott vetoed Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) earlier this summer, rejecting an effort that would have banned consumable hemp products—many of which comply with federal standards put in place by President Trump’s Farm Bill in 2018.

Abbott instead called for a special legislative session to pursue regulations modeled after alcohol laws: restricting sales to adults over 21, requiring safe distances from schools, and standardizing product packaging. The Texas hemp industry largely backs these reforms, viewing them as common-sense policies.

“We can and should reasonably regulate consumable hemp-derived CBD to protect public health and safety,” Abbott said, emphasizing hemp’s status as a lawful agricultural commodity under federal law.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has pushed back forcefully on Abbott’s position.

Patrick has gone as far as suggesting that hemp shop owners are “terrorists” and implying that some are working with drug cartels, statements that industry advocates call misleading and inflammatory.

In his crusade for a total ban, Patrick has claimed that Abbott’s stance could lead to full marijuana legalization, an assertion both the governor and industry leaders have rejected.

Texas’s hemp industry directly supports over 60,000 Texas jobs and contributes over $5.5 billion to the state’s economy, according to industry estimates. Industry leaders warn that a statewide ban would jeopardize these livelihoods and push jobs and capital to neighboring states with more stable policies.

Far from opposing regulation, Texas hemp entrepreneurs and farmers have outlined a framework for safe and responsible oversight. The industry supports restricting access to adults 21 and older, implementing child-safe packaging, prohibiting sales near schools, and requiring third-party lab testing to ensure product quality.

Hemp-derived THC products have been a critical tool for veterans managing PTSD, anxiety, and chronic pain, offering holistic alternatives to opioids and other pharmaceuticals. The products are also used in managing epilepsy, reducing the frequency and severity of seizures in certain patients.

For many Texans, particularly in rural areas, access to these products is a matter of health, not lifestyle. Polls also show that Texas voters overwhelmingly support regulated access to hemp-based products.

A Fabrizio & Lee poll conducted prior to Abbott’s veto found that 70% of voters supported keeping the hemp industry operational with guardrails like age limits and marketing restrictions. A more recent McLaughlin & Associates poll, conducted after the veto, found that 79% of voters support continuing legal sales with proper safety regulations; only 13% favored a ban.

For veterans, rural communities, and small businesses, this is more than a policy debate, they say: it’s a test of conservative values such as economic freedom, limited government, and protecting veterans and farmers who followed the law in good faith.