Politics
Texas Democrats And Republicans Preview Bipartisan Cooperation On Cannabis For 2027 Session
Democratic and Republican elected officials in Texas are discussing the possibility of teaming up across partisan lines to advance cannabis reform in the 2027 legislative session following last week’s election results that upended the GOP’s long-held dominance of the state.
Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin (D) was asked at a press conference on Tuesday about how she wants the legislature to handle THC issues next year.
“I think that we need regulation around THC,” she said. “I’m not interested in a full ban on THC.”
“But there’s a lot of details to be worked out,” the incoming lieutenant governor said, “and I look forward to working with all of the senators to work out those details.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Wes Virdell (R) said in an interview this week that cannabis is an issue “where me and the Democrats can definitely align on.”
“I think you’ll see very bipartisan bills come out of the House, and hopefully the Senate on those issues,” he told KXAN-TV.
The GOP lawmaker criticized outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who was defeated in this month’s election by Goodwin, for how he pushed legislation last session to ban hemp THC products.
“I had voted for the THC bill because Dan Patrick had promised me personally in his office that he was going to massively expand the compassionate use program, which, in all honesty, I don’t think he had any intention of doing,” Virdell said, adding that he later texted Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) team suggesting that the governor veto the legislation, which he did.
Following that veto, however, state agencies advanced restrictive rules that effectively banned many hemp products and which are currently being challenged in court.
Virdell said he does think that “we need proper regulation on age to purchase, on quality of product.”
“A friend of mine that has a dispensary in Oklahoma has said that Texas buys a lot of product that has mold and heavy metal toxins, and and so there is a problem there that does need to be addressed,” he said.
“But at the same time, one of my big things is I think we’re giving out felonies for things that don’t deserve felony classification to people,” the GOP lawmaker said, “and good people are having to live their entire life with a felony classification for simply having THC gummies and or a vape pen that has THC in the cartridge.”
Lawmakers in the House and Senate have already prefiled bills for the 2027 session to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas, expand medical cannabis access and enact other reforms.
Goodwin, for her part, recently discussed various options for how to move ahead with cannabis reform following her party’s electoral victories—from broadening the medical marijuana program to enacting recreational legalization.
During the campaign, Goodwin made clear that she supports marijuana reform—including by hosting a “Legalize It” rally and organizing cannabis-focused phonebanking efforts.
She also claimed that Patrick pushed to ban hemp THC products in order to benefit alcohol companies, which happen to be among his substantial campaign contributors.
Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa (D) has said she wants to let Texas voters decide on marijuana legalization via a referendum, though under state law that would have to be a constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the legislature.
A strong bipartisan majority of Texans support legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, according to recent polling.
Voters in Houston this month approved a ballot initiative to make misdemeanor marijuana possession the “lowest possible enforcement priority” for local police while also banning no-knock warrants.
Meanwhile, Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-TX) has said he wants to parter with President Donald Trump to federally legalize marijuana.
