Abbott Voices No Interest in Adult THC Ban
While Tuning Experts Out on Tariffs Toll
Capitol Inside
April 14, 2025
Governor Greg Abbott
refused to endorse a push for a blanket prohibition on products with THC during the weekend when he declared that victory was inevitable in the school choice fight is inevitable and defended the imposition of tariffs that are expected to hit Texas harder than any other state.
Abbott told Fox 26 in Houston in an interview on Sunday he supports a ban on the sale of potent cannabis products to children. But he declined to say that he'd favor extending it to adults like the Texas Senate proposed to do in legislation that's one of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick top three priorities for 2025.
"Here's several things that are being sought to be achieved: one is to deny access by children to high-level THC-content materials, whether it be edibles or drinks or whatever the case may be," Abbott said. "Both the House and Senate seem to agree upon that. As it concerns other avenues for adults, there's a difference between the House and Senate that I think will get worked out before the end of the session."
The governor's remarks gave the impression that he's a bigger fan of a competing House bill that would regulate a multi-billion dollar THC business that the Republican-controlled Legislature created inadvertently in 2019 in a measure that legalized products made from hemp. The measure that GOP State Rep. Ken King of Canadian is sponsoring would continue a ban that Texas already has in place on products for consumption that are made from marijuana.
But House Bill 28 would allow thousands of dispensaries that Texas leaders and lawmakers spawned six years ago with the hemp bill to keep selling products made from a variety of hemp plants known as Delta-9. The products that have been for sale in Texas during that span of time produce a high that's similar to marijuana and just as potent even though they contain a smaller percentage of THC on paper.
The State Affairs Committee that King chairs considered the THC plans in House Bill 28 and Senate Bill 3 in public hearings a week ago when the measures were left pending without action. The governor said nothing in the Houston TV appearance that would serve as a prod for House leaders who've shown an equal lack of interest up to now in a new prohibition for products that are legal for adult use in a large number of states like New Mexico, Colorado and Missouri.
Abbott showed no concerns over the harmful effects that President Donald Trump's tariffs will have on the Lone Star State in the consensus view of experts on the economy here. After staying mum on the subject for several months, Abbott ignored the warnings served up tempered praise for them
"What's going on is a leveling of the playing field across the entire world with the United States, making sure that other countries are not going to be imposing tariffs on the United States without equal treatment. So I think in the end, what the president is doing is exactly what he campaigned on and it'll take a while for all the details to be worked out, but I think in the end it should be good for the country and good for Texas."
Waco economist Ray Perry projected in March that the tariffs on Mexico and Canada alone would cost the state 370,000 jobs and $47 billion in gross domestic product every year if they're sustained.
The tariffs have led to plunging oil prices that could put the industry in Texas at substantial risk and drive the jobless rate up here even more. The cost of automobiles and parts and insurance for them could soar along with prices at grocery stores around the state.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has been one of the few elected Republican leaders in Texas to say anything about the tariffs that could be construed as criticism. Cruz acknowledged in a podcast this month that tariffs are a form of taxation.
"I’m seeing a lot of Republican cheerleaders that are kind of reflexively defending what the White House is doing," Cruz said. "Listen, I love President Trump, I'm his strongest supporter, and I think he's doing incredible things as president. But here's one thing to understand, a tariff is a tax."
The Houston Chronicle surveyed statewide officials and congressional delegation members on the tariffs for a report that it published late last week. While the U.S. House Democrats from Texas all agreed that the tariffs would be devastating for Texans, all but one of the state's congressional Republicans portrayed them in positive lights in the piece. Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Kingwood endorsed the Cruz view in a podcast of his own the following day.
"Tariffs are like anything that's effectively a tax; there are tradeoffs that benefits some things and will have costs in others," Crenshaw said.
Abbott sought to pump up the plan for private school subsidies in the Fox affiliate interview by hailing record amount of funds that the state plans to spend on public education during the next two years. The governor didn't point out that increases in the public schools budget have been a function in recent years of soaring enrollment due to dramatic population growth.
Abbott suggested on social media on Monday that every Texas student would be able to get payments for the state to spend on private education. That would not be the case based on the legislation that's set for debate on the House floor on Wednesday.
"This session, we WILL pass school choice," Abbott wrote on X. "We have the votes. We'll make it happen as early as next week.
While students with special needs and low income families will be prioritized, school choice will be universally available to everyone."
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