Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller, seems to be somewhere in the middle when it comes to the state’s approach to controlling hemp-derived THC.
Earlier this month, Commissioner Miller published an op-ed in which he said, “While I do not support recreational, retail marijuana for all, it’s up to the legislature to fix the legislation on the books and, while doing so, have a robust and transparent debate about whether or not to expand its availability. That has not yet happened.
“I have received a lot of messages asking me to come out against Dan Patrick’s efforts to curtail the unregulated and unsafe market that I have described. I will not. That’s not how the law works. The Lieutenant Governor is right to go after these unregulated and often illegal businesses.
“Even if the legislature voted to legalize recreational marijuana tomorrow, that legislation would create a legal market with rules, guardrails, checks, and balances. What we have now is the wild west.”
He went on to say, “Texas needs clear and understandable laws. Texas Republicans need to be rowing in the same direction in order to achieve this goal. That is why I stand with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick while expecting the legislature to do its job.”
In an interview with Lubbock’s KCBD in December, Commissioner Miller said, “It’s not that [THC products] are all that wildly dangerous, but these gummies are showing up with second and third-graders. That’s where we need to take a real close look and maybe consider putting some restrictions on children,” Miller said.
Cannabis is a hot topic at the Capitol and around the state. More than a dozen cannabis bills have been introduced so far, with the introduction of Senate Bill 3 looming. SB 3 is the priority legislation announced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Charles Perry, which will reportedly ban all THC products from being sold in the state of Texas. The bill’s language has not yet been released to the public.
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