Cannabis advocates in Texas have responded strongly to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s Wednesday announcement of a proposed all-THC ban.
Though Patrick clarified on Thursday the ban will not impact the state’s limited medical marijuana program, those with cannabis businesses and organizations that support marijuana legalization feel the proposed bill is “tremendously out of step” with most Texans.
Residents of the Lone Star State have expressed their frustration with the state’s outdated marijuana laws. Yet, politicians continue to wage war on all forms of cannabis — including delta-8, delta-9 and THCa — and dispensaries are starting to feel the pressure.
In response to Patrick’s announcement of Senate Bill 3 (which aims to ban all forms of consumable THC except products covered by the state’s medical program), Jae Graham, the cofounder of Maryjae — a legal cannabis dispensary in Austin, Texas — told LoneStarLive.com much of her concern is about the community her shop serves.
“It’s devastating to small businesses like myself. But first and foremost, my heart is with my community and the people that need the medicine,” Graham explained. “We’ve been open seven years. So, to see people from day one to now, I’ve seen so many people’s lives change, and we’re a part of that journey. And just to see that go away, it breaks my heart.”
The first thing Graham’s employees at Maryjae asked when they heard about the proposed ban, she said, was whether or not they’d be good in terms of work.
“I tell them, ‘We’ll always be good.‘ We’ve been here seven years and we’ve built the most beautiful community that supported us in the deepest and darkest times,” Graham said. “And now it is our turn to return the favor.”
But dispensaries aren’t the only ones with opinions about a possible THC ban in Texas.
Marijuana advocates call for ‘common sense marijuana reform’
Catina Voellinger, the executive director of Ground Game Texas, said, “Texans deserve state leadership that works to improve their everyday lives, rather than one that is determined to turn back the clock to a more repressive time.
Rather than banning THC, Voellinger stressed, “Lawmakers should focus on legalizing marijuana statewide, which would allow for cannabis to be safely regulated, and would prevent countless residents from being harmed by unnecessary arrests and prosecutions for possessing something that is already legal in 24 states. We’ve seen repeatedly that this is what Texans want – our marijuana decriminalization ballot initiatives in Dallas, Lockhart, and Bastrop won overwhelmingly this November.”
The executive director of Texas Cannabis Collective, Daryoush Austin Zamhariri, echoed Voellinger’s statement, calling the proposed all-THC ban “tremendously out of step with the overwhelming majority of Texans.”
“Poll after poll has shown the citizens of Texas support legalizing cannabis and ending the failed policy of cannabis prohibition,” Zamhariri said. “We oppose SB 3 and look forward to working with our coalition partners at the 89th Legislature to bring common sense cannabis reform to the entirety of Texas.”
H/T: www.lonestarlive.com
