Dan Patrick blasts Abbott over surprise THC veto: He 'wants to legalize' it.
The lieutenant governor went as far as to allege that the multibillion-dollar hemp industry
may be a terrorist money-laundering, cartel-driven scheme in Texas.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5ac0afa9e0bb6c0eb3c4b7a21d81579f/Patrick%20Presser%20on%20Tenure%20JV%20TT%2018.jpg)
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick condemned Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday for pushing for the legalization of marijuana by vetoing the previously proposed THC ban.
"One can only come to this conclusion, which surprised me: the governor of the state of Texas wants to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas—that' the headline, folks," Patrick said at a Monday press conference. "Whether it's unintentional and he didn't think through it, or whether it's intentional, that's the result of the veto."
"I am not mad at the governor, but I am not going to legalize marijuana in Texas," Patrick noted. "And if people want to vote me out of office, so be it."
The lieutenant governor, declaring that he was "puzzled" by Abbott's surprise near-midnight veto, said he is gearing up for a fight—"a fight that didn't need to be."
Patrick denounced Abbott's last-minute "parachute" move late Sunday night, claiming the governor took such action without a call to the lieutenant governor after allegedly saying Senate Bill 3 was safe and would collect his signature within the regular session.
Patrick added that if he's wrong about Abbott's proclamation regarding the veto of SB 3 and the special session's focus on further regulation effectively proposing the legalization of marijuana, the governor should issue a statement correcting that claim.
The lieutenant governor went as far as to allege that the multibillion-dollar industry may be a terrorist money-laundering, cartel-driven scheme in Texas. He pushed back on the notion that this was a political fight for what he wanted, instead arguing that it was a battle to wage for the people of Texas. Notably, a recent poll found that most Texans would suggest otherwise.
"What kind of state do we want? What kind of culture do we want? Do we want everybody high? Everyone will tell you that in those other three states [Colorado, Oregon and Washington] work product has gone down. Everywhere you go, it smells like grass." Patrick noted. "It's awful. Last time I went to Colorado, I didn't want to go back anymore. I don't want that for Texas."
Patrick reiterated statements from his crusade against THC during the regular session, pulling from his targeting of the 2019 law that he and other GOP names say is to blame for the loophole that unintentionally allowed the "legalization of intoxicating THC products." He stated that it "destroyed families," listing several incidents involving consumption of such products, and declaring "virtually all" of the merchandise in the roughly 8,000 THC shops remained illegal despite Abbott's veto. A claim that many retailers have debunked in statements against the ban.
The lieutenant governor went on to rebuke the governor's constitutional and pending litigation arguments made in his veto proclamation, saying he didn't agree with them and that they weren't valid.
Patrick criticized Abbott for basing his statements about the veto on a lower court case from Arkansas that was still pending when Patrick argued that higher courts have deemed such a ban constitutionally acceptable.
"Since when did we care when someone sues us when we pass a bill?!" Patrick said.
Patrick confirmed that he was "staying with the ban" and he would not support legislation that would work to legalize marijuana, stating that lawmakers could not effectively regulate the roughly 8,000 shops operating in the state.
"We'll work together. We'll see what happens in the special session, but where has [Abbott] been all session? Where's he been?" Patrick said.
The special session is set to start next month on Monday, July 21.
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