By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews.com
Gov. Greg Abbott did something rare in Texas politics: he told the moral panic crowd to take a seat.
Just before midnight on June 22, Abbott vetoed Senate Bill 3, a sweeping, vaguely written bill that would have banned all consumable hemp-derived THC products in Texas—think Delta-8 and Delta-9 gummies, vapes, and even wellness drops used by veterans and chronic pain sufferers.
The bill was sold as a crackdown on dangerous substances. What it actually was? A legislative grenade that would’ve blown up a legal, multibillion-dollar industry employing tens of thousands of Texans.
A Veto Based on Facts, Not Fear
In his veto statement, Abbott didn’t mince words. SB 3, he wrote, “faces valid constitutional challenges” and “would hinder rather than help” public safety efforts. Translation: it wouldn’t hold up in court—and it wouldn’t make us safer.
He’s not wrong. A similar law in Arkansas was blocked in federal court after a judge found it likely unconstitutional and overly vague. That ruling noted the ban could unintentionally sweep up legal hemp products like CBD oil and even skincare—raising serious questions about how such laws would be enforced.
Abbott’s response? Call the Legislature back for a special session starting July 21 to write a law that actually makes sense. He’s proposing age limits, safety standards, labeling rules, and real oversight—just like we do with alcohol and tobacco.
That’s what a functioning government is supposed to do: regulate, not overreact.
Real Jobs. Real People. Real Consequences
The veto was also a lifeline for local businesses. Here in North Texas, stores like Zar Wellness in Plano and others across TX-03 told TX3DNews the ban would’ve wiped out up to 80% of their sales. Customers—many of them veterans or people managing chronic illness—rely on these products daily.
“This isn’t about getting high,” one store manager told us. “It’s about helping people feel human again.”
SB 3 didn’t just threaten commerce—it threatened care.
Cue the Meltdown from Dan Patrick
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, never one to let a culture war go to waste, quickly held a press conference accusing Abbott of wanting to “legalize marijuana.” He called the veto a betrayal and warned of cartel infiltration, poisoned kids, and—of course—and the all-too-common fallback: societal collapse..
But here’s the thing: the products SB 3 targeted are already legal under federal law. Texans aren’t hiding in alleyways to buy Delta-8 gummies—they’re buying them at shopping centers next to pet stores and dry cleaners.
They’re buying lab-tested, state-regulated products from local stores that pay taxes, check IDs, and serve veterans, chronic pain patients, and others who’ve been failed by Big Pharma—or, as one shop manager put it, “just don’t want the risk of getting hooked on opioids.”
What the veto stopped was a broad, punitive ban that would’ve shut down hundreds of small businesses, especially in communities like ours.
So no—Governor Abbott didn’t “legalize marijuana.” That’s already been decided by Congress and the Farm Bill. What he did was stop the state from overreaching and punishing Texans for using legal alternatives.
If the concern is safety, the answer is regulation—not pushing everything underground.
The Bottom Line
Let’s get this out of the way before the pitchforks come out: we’re not endorsing the veto of SB 3—or opposing it outright. Sadly, some bad actors have misused, abused, and outright criminalized these products—pushing them far beyond their intended purpose (just ask the Allen PD). But that doesn’t mean we throw the baby out with the Delta-8–infused bathwater.
The truth is, plenty of Texans rely on these products for legitimate medical and wellness reasons. Both things can be true: some abuse it, others need it. A responsible, enforceable framework can—and should—acknowledge both.
And that’s the point: Abbott’s veto wasn’t about hemp. It was about how laws should work.
You can’t call yourself pro–small business, then vote to wipe out hundreds of them overnight.
You can’t say you back law enforcement, then hand them a law so vague it’s basically unenforceable.
And you definitely can’t yell “freedom!” one day and “ban the gummies!” the next.
Texas deserves laws that solve problems—not just laws that generate headlines.
Abbott’s veto gives the Legislature a second shot to do this right. Let’s hope they use it.
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If you’re a local retailer, customer, or just someone with a perspective on SB 3, we’d love to hear from you. Email us: contact@tx3dnews.com
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