Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has made it a top legislative priority to outright ban the sale of THC products in Texas with SB 3.

His reasons are stated in a press release, which you can read in the X Post below, but I'll also give you the "tl,dr" version: he claims the products are "life-threatening" and that they target children.

A quick Google search largely debunks the "life-threatening" claim, according to the DEA (yes, THAT DEA), "no deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported."

Yes, some people overdo it and land in the ER, and there can be serious side effects.

However, the same is much more true for alcohol, for which there is no proposed prohibition because we learned from history that prohibition doesn't work.

I will concede his point on marketing to children, even though the marketing is really for child-like adults.

By all means, ban packaging that looks like mainstream candy, cereal, chips, etc., that is for children. We can be grown-ups and have grown-up packaging.

The drawbacks of an outright ban outweigh the benefits.

According to Chron, Heather Fazio, the director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy said, "The state's over 7,000 retailers are doing a good job following current state regulations, showcasing the industry's integrity. "

This means an outright ban would likely kill many of these retailers unless they can survive on selling cigarettes and vapes, which are extremely unhealthy and like alcohol, not banned.

Not to mention support industries, including agriculture, Texas' economic backbone.

Not every Republican agrees with Patrick.

Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller has posted on X about his opposition: "It's time to support the will of Texans."

Gosh, that's a beautiful statement to read.

Some responses to his post are negative, but absolutely lame arguments about how weed smells bad and how it "makes men weak." Clearly, that person has never seen Pumping Iron.

Where THC benefits society- affordable pain relief.

In response to the opioid crisis, there has been an overcorrection in prescribing pain medication.

Fearful of prosecution, many doctors and pharmacists will not give people the pain relievers they need to function or have any quality of life.

Still, many others can't afford the doctor's visit in the first place. Patrick's idea to keep the "compassionate use" legal is hardly the needed compromise because of this, and the program's limited reach.

For people with chronic pain, the elderly, and some folks with mental illness, easily accessible THC in their preferred form (like edibles for asthmatics) is desperately needed to maintain quality of life.

By all means, expand and enforce regulations, just don't take what people need away- as we've learned from any prohibition- they'll still buy it from criminals instead of honest Texas businesses, even if it means becoming criminals themselves.