Dan Patrick, Greg Abbott at odds over THC regulation
Patrick challenged Abbott's THC regulation order
Following Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order for age limits on THC, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has likened the decision to allowing legal marijuana in the state.
AUSTIN - Texas's top lawmakers are clashing over a recent decision to put an age limit on hemp derivatives rather than banning them all together.
Dan Patrick lashes out at THC order
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
The latest:
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick isn't happy with Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order, which regulates THC derived from hemp.
Patrick also said law enforcement told him that failing to ban the products is the same as legalizing marijuana in Texas.
Abbott does not support legalized marijuana.
Friday, Patrick released a statement decrying Abbott's order.
What they're saying:
The statement reads, in part, below:
"The governor’s executive order, intentionally or not, has sent a signal to the THC industry that they have a state seal of approval on the current THC market.
The governor has stated he does not want to legalize marijuana in Texas, but testimony from law enforcement and others say that is exactly what will happen."
North Texas police chief says Abbott's THC age limit doesn't address real issue
Allen Police Chief Steve Dye is voicing frustration about Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order calling for regulation of THC.
Read the full statement here.
'Deny these products to our kids'
Greg Abbott
The other side:
FOX 4 asked the governor about this while at a bill signing in McKinney on Friday.
"We had a lot of opportunities and a lot of ideas on the table to make sure we took action by the House and Senate to deny these products to our kids," Abbott told FOX 4. "That was not passed and got to my desk. So I was going to make sure to not let a day go by without doing something about that."
Greg Abbott regulates THC
The backstory:
Patrick tried and failed to get hemp-derived THC banned in the legislature with some emotionally charged, and some say over the top, claims about the dangers stemming from the products.
The governor vetoed the first effort, and the second effort never made it off the ground.
Abbott says that because lawmakers didn’t get a bill to his desk in the second special session, he took matters into his own hands.
Gov. Abbott signs executive order banning sale of THC products to those under 21
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed an executive order banning the sale of hemp products to anyone under the age of 21.
Abbott’s executive order banning the sale of consumable THC products to anyone under the age of 21 was issued this week.
The executive order also calls on state agencies to create more regulations for businesses, like ID checks and changes to labels.
What's next:
Abbott gave TABC and DHS a timeline of when they need to have these regulations in place.
So far, we have not seen any legal challenges to the executive order.
The Source: Information in this report comes from public statements by Texas leaders.