At one point, the Texas Senate’s gallery was cleared after multiple outbursts of support for those testifying against the prohibition of THC products.
By Faith Bugenhagen | Houston Chronicle | March 3, 2025
Chaos erupted during a Texas Senate committee hearing Monday afternoon on two bills related to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s efforts to ban all THC products.
A video uploaded to X showed a stream of most of the more than 175 people who signed up to provide testimony on Senate Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1505, which aim to prohibit all consumable THC products and outline alterations to Texas’ Compassionate Use Program, respectively, escorted out of the room.
The impromptu exit came after several outbursts from the crowd of those testifying on the legislation.
“Instead of just removing individuals, and maybe it was because there was more than a couple, they cleared the entire gallery for about 30 minutes, then reopened it,” said Heather Fazio, director of Texas Cannabis Policy Center.
Fazio attended Monday’s hearing at the Capitol and was in the lobby outside the chamber when law enforcement escorted testifiers out.
“I was visiting with folks when it all happened. You see the police rushing in, and it was all dramatic for a moment, but ultimately everything was OK,” Fazio said.
Fazio added that the situation became “a little chaotic” because the testimony was still ongoing, and staffers had to shout out in the lobby to let people know who was next.
Fazio, who has advocated at the state building before, has never seen the full gallery cleared, just a handful of people escorted out individually.
“It is definitely an exciting time. Having nearly 200 people coming out to the Capitol on a Monday to testify about this,” Fazio said. “It’s really incredible what’s going on, this movement among the cannabis industry, but also this movement in general of those who prefer regulation over prohibition.”
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