“Why is this so different from everything else? Because our leaders are stuck in the last millennium,” State Rep. Gene Wu told Inside Texas Politics.
DALLAS — State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) was among those who wanted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to veto the THC ban.
The governor did just that, but Rep. Wu doesn’t see it as a victory for Democrats. He sees it as a victory for all of the Texans who he says overwhelmingly told lawmakers over and over again that they did not support the ban.
“This is something that adults in this state have had the freedom to enjoy for the past five years,” the lawmaker told WFAA on Inside Texas Politics. “Lots of people have come to rely on it. Veterans. People with medical issues. And just people who just want to be free and want to use what they want to use.”
Like many others, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Rep. Wu also wondered aloud why Gov. Abbott waited until the last few minutes to veto a bill he’d known about the entire session, calling it a “complete lack of leadership.”
But Wu also doubts the governor’s veto suggests he’s in favor of legalizing marijuana; a charge Patrick leveled at Abbott. Instead, Wu thinks it’s all about Republican primary politics.
Watch the full Inside Texas Politics episode here:
Now that lawmakers are heading into a special session to address the THC issue once again, Rep. Wu says he wants reasonable regulation that keeps the product safe and away from kids but still allows freedom for adult Texans.
And the leader of House Democrats thinks the state should treat it just like every other controlled substance that adults are allowed to use, such as alcohol or tobacco.
“Why is this so different from everything else? Because our leaders are stuck in the last millennium,” he argued. “The people who are in control of the state still think like this is 1960 and they still have reefer madness. If you keep electing people whose minds are stuck in the last millennium, this is what you will continue to get.”
The other big question facing lawmakers as they await the special session is whether Gov. Abbott will add congressional redistricting to the call.
The Trump Administration has been pushing Texas Republicans to take on the issue so the GOP can keep their razor thin edge in Congress.
But Rep. Wu isn’t convinced yet that Gov. Abbott will add it to the special session because he claims so many Texas Republicans are against it.
“The Congressional Republicans really, really don’t want this. They’ve been blowing up their colleagues in the Texas House and the Texas Senate saying do not do this. Do not do this. This only hurts us. This only hurts us in the long run,” claimed Wu. “But this is not about Republicans anymore. This is purely about King Trump. This is purely about what the Lord Emperor Trump wants and how well Governor Abbott is going to deliver it to him.”
Stay tuned. The special session kicks off July 21.