Late on a quiet Sunday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott dropped a bombshell by vetoing a bill that would have banned THC products across the state, setting the stage for a heated showdown in a special legislative session.
Breitbart reported that Abbott nixed Senate Bill 3 (SB-3), which had strong support in both chambers, and called for a special session starting July 21, 2025, to tackle regulation instead of an outright ban.
Let’s rewind to earlier this year when the Texas Senate gave a unanimous thumbs-up to SB-3 in March 2025, aiming to shut down the state’s booming THC market.
Not long after, in May 2025, the Texas House followed suit with a resounding 108-30 vote to pass the bill, showing bipartisan resolve to clamp down on these products.
Yet, as the veto deadline loomed at midnight on Sunday, Abbott pulled the plug, citing serious legal flaws that could doom the bill in court.
He pointed to a 2023 Arkansas law struck down in federal court, warning that SB-3 faced the same fate with “undeniable legal defects,” as he put it.
“Senate Bill 3 is well-intentioned, but it would never go into effect because of valid constitutional challenges,” Abbott declared. Sorry, Governor, but isn’t it a bit convenient to play the legal card when political heat is scorching from both sides?
This veto didn’t come out of nowhere; the 2019 Texas law that allowed trace delta-9 THC opened a loophole for other derivatives, birthing an $8 billion industry with 8,000 retailers peddling edibles, vapes, and more.
Critics of that earlier law say it’s been exploited to the hilt, while opponents of SB-3 boast about 8,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue—numbers that can’t be ignored, even if the products raise eyebrows.
On the flip side, law enforcement and groups like the Texas Sheriff’s Association begged Abbott to sign SB-3, citing health risks with THC concentrations sometimes topping 90%, linked to psychosis and addiction.
They’ve got a point when they highlight how these products mimic kid-friendly snacks—think Starburst lookalikes with cartoon packaging—leading to a 495% spike in poison control calls for kids under 5 from 2017 to 2022.
THC content, reportedly three to four times stronger than street marijuana, only fuels the argument that accessibility, especially to teens, is a disaster waiting to happen.
“Legislators could consider a structure similar to the way alcohol is regulated,” Abbott suggested, nodding to strict oversight by an agency like the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. It’s a sensible pivot, but will it satisfy the hardline ban advocates who see THC as a societal scourge?
Veterans groups, including Gulf War vet Barnes who lamented, “There’s really nothing at the VA to help with pain or anxiety that isn’t addictive,” lobbied hard against the ban, showing not everyone views THC as the enemy.
Meanwhile, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick fumed over the veto, accusing Abbott of abandoning law enforcement and families hurt by these “very dangerous drugs.” His frustration is palpable, but ignoring the legal minefield might be the bigger gamble.