Commissioner of Agriculture
This office licenses hemp cultivation in Texas, so the two major-party nominees have both taken positions on hemp. They point in opposite directions. The three-term incumbent is not on the ballot, having lost his primary in March.
No score: the 2 records below carry no direction this site is willing to score — an abstention, a vote on a bill whose effect on legal access is genuinely arguable, or a statement that names no position. They are shown in full so you can read them and judge for yourself.
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Said2025-10-15
The Brownwood News reported on 2026-08-30 that his critique of the current Texas hemp industry is that it has focused on allowing usage for smokable products, and that there are more practical uses for hemp — paper and clothes — and that it is a good crop for rotation and for keeping Texas soil healthy.
⚠️Those are the reporter’s words, not his: that article quotes nothing he said.
A recorded video interview with the Texan is also cited here, and this site is not permitted to read that publisher, which asks our tools by name not to.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: A record of this kind counts only when this site has published a reading of its direction, with the reason for it, and none has been made for this one.
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Questionnaire2026-02-03
Answered The Dallas Morning News's 2026 voter-guide questionnaire, which asked every Commissioner of Agriculture candidate in its guide, "Describe your views on the legalization of marijuana. How would this impact agriculture in Texas?" The first paragraph of the answer, in full: "I believe Texas must follow the rule of law, protect minors, and support veterans through regulated medical access—not backdoor legalization.
Delta-8, Delta-9, and Delta-10 products flooded Texas because of a loophole, not because the Legislature or voters approved recreational marijuana. Congress has now closed that loophole nationally, and I believe Texas should respect that clarity and enforce the law as written. As a veteran, I support expanding the Texas Compassionate Use Program so those suffering from PTSD, chronic pain, and anxiety can access safe, regulated medicine—not untested synthetics sold at gas stations.
My position is simple: protect kids, protect consumers, support veterans, and uphold the decisions made by Congress and the Texas Legislature." The answer continued with a second paragraph about the past statements of an opponent in the March primary who is not a candidate in the November election. That paragraph is not reproduced here, because the person it describes is not on this ballot and has no page on this site in which to answer it; it is in the cited source in full.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: States both support for expanding the Texas Compassionate Use Program so patients with PTSD, chronic pain and anxiety can obtain regulated medicine, and that Texas should enforce the federal closure of the hemp-derived THC loophole as written rather than accept what the answer calls backdoor legalization. The answer points in both directions on lawful access, so no single direction is read from it.
This card has been corrected. What an earlier version of it said, and what was wrong with it, is published in the corrections log.
How this score is worked out
Seven kinds of act move this number, and they do not count equally. A recorded vote counts 3, and so does authoring a bill or signing an executive action; signing on to somebody else’s bill counts 2. A statement or a questionnaire answer counts 2 as well, and an organisational endorsement counts 1. A vote takes its direction from the bill, whose effect is set out in advance; the rest take it from our reading of what was said, and each one below shows that reading and the reason for it. Acts shown with no number were examined and deliberately left out of the arithmetic, with a reason given.
- 2026-09-29 questionnaire — Wrote that adults should not face criminal penalties for possessing or using cannabis and that he supports legal adult use for responsible adults with regulation, alongside "Strongly Support" on maintaining a legal hemp marketplace. He answered "Depends on the product" on prohibition versus regulation and "No" on consumer choice, and most of his written answers are about industrial and agricultural hemp, so those qualifications go to which products and who may sell them rather than to whether cannabis should be lawful. He also declined to say who should sell THC, at what dose or in what form, answering that those decisions should be delegated to elected officials, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-04-14 statement — Campaign hemp page supports adults consuming hemp products without undue government interference, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-02-03 questionnaire — Said cannabis should be treated like tobacco, that farmers who want to grow it should be able to and adults of legal age who want to use it should be able to, alongside education about the risks, and that the answer opposes any government or corporation stopping anyone from growing or using cannabis. That is support for lawful adult access and cultivation, counted as +2 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: 2. Full method and the bill table.
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Questionnaire2026-02-03
Answered The Dallas Morning News's 2026 voter-guide questionnaire, which asked every Commissioner of Agriculture candidate in its guide, "Describe your views on the legalization of marijuana. How would this impact agriculture in Texas?" The answer, in full: "Treat it like tobacco. If farmers want to grow it, grow it. If people (of legal age) want to use it, use it. Put on education campaigns about how growing it affects water/soil, and make sure folks are aware of the risks of consuming it.
I'm against any government or corporation trying to stop anyone from growing or using cannabis." The News published the guide on 2026-02-03; the live page is no longer readable by automated tools, so the answer is cited to the Internet Archive's copy of the guide's own data file.
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Said2026-04-14
Published a hemp policy page on his campaign site stating support for farmers growing hemp and adults consuming hemp products without undue interference from government or corporations, opposition to any corporation holding a monopoly on hemp production or processing, and support for fair and transparent labelling.
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Said2026-06-04
Appeared as the interview guest on a Texas hemp and cannabis industry podcast, discussing hemp farming, licensing costs and product labelling.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: Appearing on an industry podcast is not itself a stated position; the summary records the appearance, not a policy claim.
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Questionnaire2026-09-29
Said hemp is "an important product with many uses and benefits" and that adults should not face criminal penalties for possessing or using cannabis, in the Texas Hemp Business Council’s 2026 candidate questionnaire. The council is a hemp industry trade association; it put twenty questions to 223 candidates for the Texas Legislature and statewide office and publishes the answers it receives in full, without editing. These are the candidate’s own words, submitted by the candidate.
Asked about the future of hemp in Texas, the answer was, in full: "I believe that hemp is an important product with many uses and benefits. As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I will work to promote Texas-grown hemp in clothing, fuel, biodegradable plastics, and food. I fully support the right for every farmer to raise hemp. I will also support Hemp as an important crop that farmers can use to maintain their soil health, especially via crop rotation or cover crops.
Because Hemp can be drought resistant, it can help farmers have a revenue source during droughts. I am against any corporation creating a monopoly on hemp production or processing. I support fair and transparent labeling for all hemp products. I will work with both Congress, the Texas Legislature and the Texas Hemp industry to achieve these goals." Asked who should be permitted to sell THC, to whom, at what dose, in what form and subject to what safeguards: "I believe those decisions should be delegated to our elected officials."
On keeping a legal, regulated hemp marketplace, the comments read: "Yes. Adults should not face criminal penalties for possessing or using cannabis. Law enforcement resources should be focused on violent crime and protecting our communities, not prosecuting Texans for personal cannabis use. Decriminalization also helps reduce the long-term consequences that minor possession charges can have on employment, education, and families."
On adult freedom of choice in wellness products: "Yes. I support legal access to medical cannabis for patients whose doctors determine it could improve their quality of life. I also support legal adult use for responsible adults with appropriate regulations for safety, labeling, and consumer protection. Texas farmers should have the opportunity to participate in this industry without monopolies or unnecessary barriers that favor large corporations over local producers."
Asked why regulation is or is not preferable to prohibition: "I fully support the right for every farmer to raise hemp, and adults to consume hemp products, without undue interference from government or corporations. I am against any corporation creating a monopoly on hemp production or processing. Counterfeit seed certification rips off farmers; can reduce yield and introduce invasive species into fields. We need more enforcement tools.
I will be a strong advocate for strengthening inspection and enforcement operations." On the questionnaire’s fixed-choice questions: on maintaining a legal, regulated hemp marketplace, "Strongly Support"; on whether regulation is preferable to prohibition where a product can be made and sold safely, "Depends on the product"; on hemp agriculture, "Strongly Support"; on retail regulation, "Reasonable statewide licensing/registration"; on tax policy, "Depends on the proposed tax"; on consumer choice, "No".
The council lists his office as "Agriculture Commissioner" and his district as "Statewide"; that is the race he is on the 2026 general-election ballot for, Commissioner of Agriculture, and this record is filed there. The date is the date the council recorded the submission, in Central time.
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How this score is worked out
Seven kinds of act move this number, and they do not count equally. A recorded vote counts 3, and so does authoring a bill or signing an executive action; signing on to somebody else’s bill counts 2. A statement or a questionnaire answer counts 2 as well, and an organisational endorsement counts 1. A vote takes its direction from the bill, whose effect is set out in advance; the rest take it from our reading of what was said, and each one below shows that reading and the reason for it. Acts shown with no number were examined and deliberately left out of the arithmetic, with a reason given.
- 2026-03-14 statement — Pledges to cut regulation of the hemp industry, which eases the supply side, though it says nothing about THC or legal access for consumers, counted as +1 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: 1. Full method and the bill table.
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Said2026-03-14
Campaign issues page, under a heading reading "1. Unleash Agricultural Freedom", states that the Texas Department of Agriculture is "treating small farmers like criminals and hemp producers like threats", and pledges: "Deregulation: Aggressively cut the bureaucratic red tape surrounding the hemp industry, cottage food production, and local meat processing."
⚠️This is a hemp regulation position only: hemp is framed as an over-regulated agricultural industry, and the page contains no statement about THC, marijuana or legalization. The page carries no date: 2026-03-14 is the date of the earliest Internet Archive capture containing this text, a capture date and not a publication date, so the position was published by at least then.
All 3 candidates on this ballot are listed.