Massive protest in Texas calling on Gov Abbott to veto THC ban

Hundreds of thousands of Texans are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill banning THC in Texas. Hundreds descended on the capitol on Monday in protest; 100,000 letters were delivered to his office after the legislature refused to listen to them, they argue.

SB 3, filed by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, passed the Senate and House with amendments and was sent to the governor on May 27.

It creates a mechanism to monitor and regulate hemp production and bans the sale of all consumable hemp products that contain THC in Texas. If Abbott signs the bill into law, only consumable hemp products that contain cannabidiol (CBD) or cannabigerol (CBG) will be legal in Texas and must comply with a strict regulatory framework.

The bill also prohibits the purchase of consumable hemp products by anyone under age 21, prohibits marketing them to minors and requires them to be properly labeled and placed in tamper-evident, child-resistant, and resealable packaging. It also creates several new criminal offenses to prevent the sale of THC, increases the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or changes the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision, according to the bill analysis, The Center Square reported.

If enacted, the bill will kill a $4.3 billion industry supporting more than 53,000 jobs and “open the floodgates to unregulated, unsafe products in Texas,” the Hemp Business Council said in a statement. The bill “dismantles the legal hemp industry and ignores the voices of small businesses, farmers, veterans and consumers across the state.”

Texans, including seniors, small business owners, those suffering from chronic pain, veterans and others also posted videos online urging Abbott to veto the bill, explaining how the ban will hurt them personally.

Veterans explained that after getting no help from the VA, THC helped them.

Here’s another one! pic.twitter.com/em7uSKaUYO— Carolea (@Carolea8745) June 1, 2025

Traumatic brain injury survivors describe how THC enables them to function without pain.

Seniors explained how THC helps with their arthritis.

Texans everywhere are voicing their support for @GregAbbott_TX to #vetosb3. This is Johnny, a local entrepreneur. These are the Texas voices for hemp. Be like Johnny!!!! pic.twitter.com/PfZ5c7tssC— Texas Cannabis Collective (@txcannaco) June 1, 2025

Despite claims made by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick that children are being killed from a range of hemp products, the council said, “There have been zero deaths, zero overdoses from the hemp products SB 3 would ban.

“Meanwhile, alcohol – a known carcinogen – kills 178,000 Americans every year, according to the CDC. And guess who’s backing SB 3? The alcohol industry. The same one that’s heavily funded the Lt. Governor. This isn’t about safety. It’s about special interests and political favors. We’re calling on Gov. Abbott to stand with Texans – not donors. Veto SB3.”

The Texas Cannabis Collective also delivered more than 100,000 letters from Texans across the state urging Abbott to veto the bill.

State. Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie, also joined in protest, saying he had serious concerns about the ban’s “very detrimental impact to the economy of the state of Texas, shuttering thousands of small businesses, putting tens of thousands of hard working patriotic freedom loving Texans out of work. I'm here today to support the effort to make sure that this bill never becomes law.”

He also formally called on the governor to veto the bill, saying it “never should have been passed and this must not be allowed to become law.”

The council also notes that SB 3 bans “regulated, USA-made hemp products with COAs and clear labels,” used by millions of people safely every day, including full spectrum CBD oil.”

The bill “isn’t about safety. If it were, state Sen. Phil King’s bill would’ve passed. SB 3 is about control and money—plain and simple.”