Texas SB3 Vetoed by Gov. Abbott!
There is a big difference in the products some hemp companies offer. For years, we’ve been saying that bad actors who are selling psychoactive THC products that sometimes are chemically altered are hugely problematic for companies like Imbue who sell Full Spectrum products designed to serve a clinical application rather than a purely recreational one. Frankly, the legality of these recreational products has always been in question.
And starting last year, lawmakers started flexing their muscles to address these “recreational” products and try to keep them out of the hands of children. Unfortunately, for many lawmakers, the answer has been to outlaw ALL hemp products or and hemp products containing ANY THC, rather than clamping down on the “bad actors” and regulating or outlawing these questionably legal products.
Such was the case in Texas. But the industry and the public fought back. As a result, Governor Abbott vetoed SB3 which would have destroyed the hemp industry in Texas and eliminated some 53,000 full time jobs.
Read the following excerpts from an announcement put out by the Hemp Roundtable:
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Last night, in a historic win for the hemp industry, Texas Governor Greg Abbott vetoed SB 3, legislation that would have devastated hemp farmers and small businesses across the state. |
Full Statement from Jonathan Miller, General Counsel, U.S. Hemp Roundtable:
Last night’s gubernatorial veto of hemp-killing SB 3 in Texas should prove to be a seminal moment for hemp farmers and businesses across the country. Members of Congress, Governors and state legislators must take notice that hemp bans are not only bad policy, but they are also deeply unpopular, even among the most conservative voters in a red state like Texas.
With a special session that will tackle this issue on July 21, the correct response is robust regulation, not misguided prohibition. Governor Greg Abbott, who took this wise and historic action, said it best in his veto statement: “Texas must enact a regulatory framework that protects public safety, aligns with federal law, has a fully funded enforcement structure, and can take effect without delay.”
The U.S. hemp industry is deeply grateful to Governor Abbott, but even more grateful to the Texas hemp organizations that led this fight, and especially to the hundreds of thousands of Texas Hemp Supporters who made their voices heard over the past several weeks.
Imbue is grateful to Governor Abbott and Hemp Supporters there and everywhere!
