RITA COOK / Freelance Writer
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I talk about politics daily. Often, I’m fielding questions or just having a friendly conversation about Planet Earth, The US Edition.
Lately I’ve had my eyes not only on the behavior in the federal circus, but the state one as well.
The 89th Texas Legislative session ended this week, so state politics has taken center stage on my radar. Lately it has been better than reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
I can’t get enough of the fact that over 8,000 bills were filed in Austin this session, yet somehow the banning of THC took a very “HIGH” priority among lawmakers (pun intended).
The THC bill passed in the Texas house last week with a 95-44 vote, apparently banning all THC products.
Even though Texas lawmakers legalized hemp as an agricultural product that contains much lower levels of THC than marijuana six years ago.
Why then was this so important again, now?
The best part of the show was Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick waving marijuana gummy bags during a press conference. In all honesty when I first watched it, I thought it was a comedian playing Patrick in a bad SNL spoof.
I believe he visited one of the marijuana shops, and he was carded. I can’t get that out of my head either: www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2025/05/29/522505/texas-leaders-defend-thc-ban-at-press-conference-featuring-thc-laced-snacks.
My confusion with this THC bill has by now gone into the realm of amusement.
Imagine if you will when Patrick said, “We don’t want adults to eat this (gummies). Do you want to go home and eat a bag of this tonight?”
I wonder how many in the audience wanted to raise their hand and take a bag home?
Patrick said he didn’t want anyone buying anything off the shelf that could “cause them to lose their mental state the rest of their life.”
Now hold it just a minute there!
Really, Dan, do you REALLY believe a person would sit and eat an entire bag of gummies full of THC?
I mean I literally don’t know anyone who would sit and eat an entire bag of non-THC gummies, we must hang with a different crowd.
The arguments to pass the bill were a bit manipulative. And the thinking person can see right through the holes.
Sidenote: insert the word lobbyist here, it will come up later.
For now, let’s remember anytime lawmakers throw the “protect children” zinger into the conversation there are definitely going to be opinions.
And wouldn’t you know it; Patrick was all for the bill prattling about “protecting children and adults.”
To me, that statement reeks of manipulation for those who don’t do the research.
Are we going back to prohibition days now too? When are lawmakers planning to ban alcohol and tobacco?
Wouldn’t that be protecting children and adults?
Instead, you can buy both of those handy dandy little products at the local supermarket in many cities and at gas stations. The latter being a place where you can gas up and drink up all in one fell swoop before taking a puff and driving off to begin your evening.
Oh, and can I remind you that approximately 80% of packaged foods in the US contain ingredients that are banned, restricted, or not approved in other developed countries according to https://sustainability-success.com/us-food-banned-in-other-countries.
That means said food is not healthy – yet our lawmakers do nothing to protect children and adults on that matter, do they?
Did you know the reason these foods are banned outside the US (more harmful than THC) is due to synthetic growth hormones like rBST in dairy, chlorine washes for poultry, Azodicarbonamide in breads, brominated vegetable oil in citrus sodas, Potassium bromate in products like pizza dough, BHA, BHT, and other preservatives linked to health issues – and remember food dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6.
The likes of Fruit Loops, Gatorade, Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Skittles, Tostito’s Salsa con Queso dip, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Mountain Dew, and many U.S. bread products are banned outside the United States because common chemicals in these foods such as artificial hormones and dyes mean higher risks of cancer, nerve damage, vision issues, asthma, and more.
Backtrack – get ready for that word “lobbyist” again.
Guess who stands to benefit from the end of the $8 billion hemp industry in Texas.
One newspaper out of Houston wrote, “The bill was influenced by local beer lobbyist” since the THC industry was taking away their business.
At Opensecrets.org (www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2019&id=N02) it was noted $28,674,207 was spent in Texas relating to beer, wine and liquor lobbyist in 2019.
It’s not like Texas is breaking new ground relating to THC/cannabis. In fact, 24 states and Washington D.C. allow recreational cannabis use by adults 21 and older.
Hemp advocates pointed out the Texas hemp THC market can provide cheaper and more accessible products than the regulated medical program.
Forgive me for asking – but is that medical industry mentioned above tied up with big pharma. You know, big pharma who profits from pharmaceutical sales and not cannabis sales?
There were some exceptions made with SB3 and it seems veteran’s groups did have a faint voice heard. Apparently, the bill that passed did not include other serious illnesses such as traumatic brain injury, glaucoma, spinal neuropathy, Crohn’s disease, and degenerative disc disease.
Regarding those veterans, they had a bit to say to the house and senate during these shenanigans.
A combat veteran who spoke to the Texas Senate asked, “What gives these people the right to tell free citizens what they can and cannot consume, because last I checked we all fought for that right?”
He pointed out the “experts” (one was the police chief of Allen) who spoke from law enforcement “did not list one statistic of someone who actually died from THC overdose because nobody ever has.”
Another veteran who served in the US Army from 2001 to 2012 deploying in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom begged Texas lawmakers to have a heart.
“Like many veterans, I battled chronic pain, PTSD and sleep issues,” he said. “The VA’s solution was opioids, benzos and anti-depressents that nearly destroyed me. Then I found legal alternative hemp-derived consumables. Since 2018 I haven’t touched opioids or sleep meds. I have rebuilt my life, my career and my family.”
He said when asked if he preferred to pay for the hemp-derived consumable versus taking the free opioids the VA provides, that he would pay because hemp gave him his life back.
One veteran reminded, “Tyranny is the oppressive and unjust exercise of power. It’s when government ignores the will of the people to serve its own interests.”
Tyranny, how do we stop it? Going to the polls is a good start – do it.
It’s also time lobbyist groups and their money be gone from the equation of how bills pass in government.
Personally – and this is my opinion only – I believe the bills we are living under now were heavily influenced (state and federal) by the result of lobbyist’s money influencing votes.
Term limits; another big deal.
And no, a politician isn’t going to vote for term limits because it means their job. And doesn’t it seem like there are a lot of these people who have been in DC since the dawn of time at “their jobs”?
One person said recently with an air of sarcasm: put term limits in one of those 1000 page bills that no one has time to read and get it passed that way.
With term limits and lobbyist regulations, the American people could possibly have a means to keep our politicians honest (I know, stop laughing) and perhaps Planet Earth: The US Edition could take a fast turn toward a happy ending.
Rita Cook is a freelance writer for The Ellis County Press. She can be reached at rcook13@earthlink.net.
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