Marijuana
Greg Abbott (R)
On June 22, 2025 — less than an hour before his deadline — Abbott vetoed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's top priority, Senate Bill 3, which would have banned virtually all consumable hemp products containing THC including delta-8 and delta-9; in his veto statement he called the bill 'well-intentioned' but said 'litigation challenging the bill has already been filed, and the legal defects in the bill are undeniable,' citing a federal ruling that blocked a similar Arkansas ban under the 2018 farm bill. Instead he called a special session beginning July 21, 2025, asking lawmakers to ban THC sales to minors, mandate product-safety testing, and bar youth-targeted marketing; Patrick 'ripped' the veto and the Senate passed a full ban (SB 5) again. Abbott has continued to support Texas's narrow Compassionate Use medical-cannabis program but has never endorsed recreational legalization or broader decriminalization.
Gina Hinojosa (D)
Hinojosa's cannabis record is mixed and reflects a medical-access-yes, recreational-caution posture. She coauthored HB 2107 in 2017 to legalize a broader medical-marijuana program and HB 81 to decriminalize low-level possession, and she filed HB 122 to give patients an affirmative defense against prosecution, testifying 'this bill does not legalize marijuana' but provides a legal shield. On the 2025 hemp-THC fight she voted YES on SB 3, the original sweeping ban on consumable hemp-derived THC products, but voted NO on HB 1535 expanding the Compassionate Use Program in an earlier session. After Abbott vetoed SB 3 in June 2025, she reacted on social media: 'Let me get this straight, so I'm supposed to show up for a special session this summer to ban THC?' She has not endorsed full adult-use recreational legalization in her gubernatorial campaign.
Sources
- Texas Tribune, 'Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes SB 3, the consumable hemp THC ban,' June 22, 2025. (full list)
- Texas Tribune, 'Dan Patrick rips Abbott veto of THC ban,' June 23, 2025. (full list)
- Houston Public Media, 'Gov. Abbott vetoes Texas THC ban, calls special session to regulate hemp,' June 23, 2025. (full list)
- Texas Tribune, 'Texas Senate passes hemp ban again in special session,' July 22, 2025. (full list)
- NORML, vote scorecard and candidate page for Gina Hinojosa — covers HB 2107, HB 81, HB 122, HB 1535, and SB 3 votes. (full list)
- Daily Texan, 'Texas House Public Health Committee holds emotional hearing on medical marijuana bills,' April 12, 2019. (full list)
- Texas Tribune, 'Texas THC ban explained: SB 3 and the hemp industry fight,' May 23, 2025. (full list)
- Houston Press, 'Houston smoke shops celebrate Abbott's veto of THC ban,' June 2025. (full list)