3 days ago
‘Do it for every veteran': Hemp business leaders call for Abbott to veto THC ban
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — 'Like thousands of us, I went through the government's solution — a never ending parade of pills: Vicodin, Valium, Tramadol, Neurontin, antidepressants, sleeping pills, the list goes on and on. Those drugs nearly destroyed me,' Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran Dave Walden said on Monday. 'Legal hemp-derived consumable THC gummies brought me back.'
Walden spoke on behalf of the Texas Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), who are vehemently opposed to Senate Bill 3 — the THC ban bill.
'Since 2018 I haven't touched a single opioid or any of the other drugs that I mentioned above. I've rebuilt my life. I've become a better leader, a better husband, a better father. And ultimately a better man,' Walden said. 'But now Senate Bill three wants to turn this into contraband. It wants to turn me and thousands of other veterans into criminals for choosing an alternative that works for us.'
Currently, the fate of the Texas Hemp industry lies in Gov. Greg Abbott's hands. He has until June 22 to either veto or sign SB 3. If he fails to make a choice, the bill will go into effect unsigned.
'Today, over 10,000 hemp business owners — women and men — request that Governor Abbott veto SB 3,' President of the Texas Hemp Business Council Cynthia Cabrera said.
Cabrera is also the Chief Strategy Officer at Hometown Hero, an Austin-based consumable hemp company. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tossed a package of Hometown Hero Cereal Bites at reporters while arguing the dangers of THC products, saying 'nobody knows what's in it.'
'Make no mistake, the idea that no one knows what is in these products is false. For the past six years, Texas law has mandated third-party lab testing and clear labeling,' Cabrera said. 'The only goal of these scare tactics was to frighten legislators and the public into going along with an agenda they did not ask for. The Texas hemp industry is comprised overwhelmingly of law-abiding, compliant entrepreneurs, mom and pop stores, distributors and ancillary businesses.'
The conference featured hemp industry leaders from all sectors, including hemp farmer Colton Luther. While he acknowledged he will still be able to grow hemp, he said his fields are currently empty because he's uncertain of this year's demand is SB 3 goes through.
'If you take away the market that creates the demand that the farmers are upholding, What business do we have left,' Luther said. 'It is a shame that we are trying to ban these things and take away the market that these farmers depend on to sell their crop.'
Later Monday, the group Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas held a competing news conference to preach the harms of THC.
'What you never hear people discussing is the impaired driving consequences resulting from use of these intoxicating products in Texas. While alcohol remains the leading cause of fatal crashes, alcohol combined with cannabis is the second most common cause of deadly impaired driving crashes,' their CEO Nicole Holt said. 'In our state, the combination of alcohol and cannabis is the most common drug combination in impaired driving crashes in our state as well. And young drivers are particularly at risk. 26% of crash fatalities among those 25 and younger involve both cannabis and alcohol. 'Those are real lives. Those deaths are someone's life ended too soon, those families will never be the same, and when there's an impaired driver on the road, we are all at risk.'
They also invited State Rep. David Lowe, R-Fort Worth, a war veteran.
'I'm deeply troubled that veterans are being used as props,' Lowe said. 'I believe passing Senate Bill three is one of the greatest accomplishments of this legislative session, and I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for his strong, steady leadership when it mattered most.'
However, the Texas VFW says Lowe does not speak for them.
'Our national convention and our state convention… set the number one priority… as protecting any alternative to opioids,' Walden said. 'That's one veteran's opinion. I have written consent that I speak for 64,000 veterans in Texas, not just one.'
Abbott has until June 22 to make a decision on whether or not to veto SB 3.
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