AUSTIN (KXAN) – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss his passionate support of Senate Bill 3, which would ban the sale of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
This bill comes nearly six years after Texas lawmakers legalized the sale of consumable hemp, including products with THC levels under 0.3%. Since then, more than 8,000 stores selling THC products have popped up across the state, Patrick said.
“They used a loophole to get around a bill that the legislature passed in 2019,” Patrick said. “We have to ban THC and shut all of these stores down.”
“This is a poison in our public,” he continued. “We as the legislature, our number one responsibility is life and death issues, and that’s why this is Senate Bill 3.”
A few hours after the news event, Texas state senators passed SB 3 in a 24 to 7 vote.
Patrick and other supporters of the bill argued too many underage children are accessing THC products sold in stores, exacerbating psychiatric symptoms in kids and young adults across the state. Patrick added he is aware of stores selling products with 750 milligrams of THC per serving.
“This is changing people’s lives in short order because it’s been marketed as something that is safe and legal and is anything but,” said Texas Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, who authored SB 3. “The deception in this industry, what they have created, and the lives they have ruined are unacceptable and unnecessary.”
On Wednesday, Patrick said he went to Happy Cactus, a story selling CBD and THC products, as a part of an “investigation,” he said. Happy Cactus’ south Austin location is near Crockett High School.
Staff from the store said they asked for Patrick’s ID when he entered.
“We are proud of our team here at Happy Cactus. They handled the visit according to the best practices of Texas hemp retailers and with professionalism and respect,” Happy Cactus co-owner Todd Harris said in a press release.
Harris said his store only sells products containing less than 50 milligrams of THC per serving, and students from the nearby high school are prohibited from entering the store.
“We are proud to provide a legal product that helps many people in our community, including veterans and seniors,” Harris added.
Harris started the business with his brother five years ago. They now have two locations — the south Austin one and another in east Austin.
“We have a lot of seniors that come in for pain relief, we have a lot of veterans come in for PTSD, and we have a lot of young professionals just needing some relief,” Harris said.
Harris said if SB 3 bill becomes law, it would be challenging for his business to stay open.
“It would take out about 80 to 90% of our products,” he said. “This bill would shut us down.”
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