Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick says Governor Greg Abbott is in favor of legalizing marijuana, following the governor’s veto of a bill that would have banned hemp-derived THC.
Patrick made the comments during a Monday interview with San Antonio’s News Radio 1200 WOAI, where he blasted Abbott’s surprise veto of a bill that would have outlawed hemp-derived THC products like delta-8, THCO and THCA, among others. The bill, Senate Bill 3, had passed both chambers with overwhelming Republican support and was backed by law enforcement, school officials and anti-cannabis activists.
“Apparently the governor wants to legalize marijuana,” Patrick told WOAI. “Because that’s what this is doing.”
Patrick’s remarks came just hours before he posted a strongly worded statement on X criticizing Abbott’s veto. “His late-night veto… leaves [victims’ families] feeling abandoned,” he wrote, adding, “I feel especially bad for those who testified and poured their hearts out on their tragic losses.”
Although Abbott hasn’t publicly called for legal marijuana, his veto of SB 3 stunned conservatives and signaled a shift in tone. The bill’s defeat means that products containing intoxicating levels of THC, extracted from hemp and often sold in gas stations and smoke shops, will remain legal in Texas—at least for now. The governor has called a special session for next month, with calls to regulate hemp THC like alcohol, rather than ban it outright.
Patrick says he’ll address the issue further at a press conference in Austin on Tuesday.
