Lieutenant Governor
The incumbent presided over the chamber that passed the hemp-THC ban and has stated both support for the medical program and opposition to any recreational pathway. His main opponent voted against the ban and campaigns on regulating THC instead. Both records are below.
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.
- 2026-03-27 executive action — He kept THC on the Senate's agenda for the next session and framed the question his committee must answer entirely around health, psychiatric and criminal-justice harms, with the requested recommendations aimed at reducing those costs. It is -1 rather than -2 because a study charge commits the chamber to no measure, counted as -1 at weight 3
- 2025-09-12 statement — Stated opposition to any pathway that could open the door to recreational marijuana in Texas, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-08-19 statement — His own words call the ban a top legislative priority and commit the Senate to passing it again, after two earlier attempts had failed, while carving out the medical programme and non-intoxicating hemp, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-07-30 statement — Named the successor ban a top legislative priority for the Senate and described the sellers it targets as exploiting a loophole, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-07-22 statement — After the veto of Senate Bill 3 he put the same ban back on the Senate's numbered priority list for the special session, rather than the regulation the session had been called to write, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-06-23 statement — Criticised the veto of the ban and rejected regulating hemp-derived THC as an alternative to prohibiting it, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-06-23 statement — Argued prohibition over regulation in terms — that the best way to protect adults and children is to ban the product — and said he would not sign a bill legalising marijuana, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-03-19 statement — Named the bill to ban all forms of intoxicating THC as a major legislative initiative of his, and described its passage as the Senate drawing a line in the sand, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2025-01-29 statement — This is the priority claim in primary-source form rather than press characterisation: he assigned the ban one of the Senate's lowest bill numbers and, in the same document, explained that a low number is how he marks his own priorities, counted as -2 at weight 2
- 2024-12-04 statement — He announced in his own words, before the session opened, that the Senate's bill would ban all forms of consumable THC - the most restrictive position available on the question this guide covers, counted as -2 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: -1.857. Full method and the bill table.
-
Official act2024-04-11
Issued the 2024 interim charges to the Texas Senate, the instructions that set what each Senate committee studies before the next session. The charges to the Senate Committee on State Affairs include one headed "Banning Delta 8 and 9", reading: "Examine the sale of intoxicating hemp products in Texas. Make recommendations to further regulate the sale of these products, and suggest legislation to stop retailers who market these products to children."
It is the only THC, hemp or cannabis item in that document; a second, shorter set of charges issued on 2024-09-10 is recorded separately on this page.
⚠️The charge directs a study, not legislation, and names no bill.
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.
-
Official act2024-09-10
Issued a second set of 2024 interim charges to the Texas Senate. The charges to the Senate Committee on State Affairs include one headed "Beverages with THC", reading: "Evaluate Texas laws and regulations concerning THC beverage manufacturing and delivery. Report on the current regulations and safeguards Texas may or may not have in place for drinks with any amount of THC. Recommend legislation to protect Texas consumers."
It is the only THC, hemp or cannabis item in that document.
⚠️The charge directs a study, not legislation, and names no bill.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: A study charge about how THC drinks are made, delivered and regulated, asking for legislation to protect consumers. This site does not score consumer-protection terms such as age limits and warning labels as a position on lawful access, so this charge is shown and not scored.
-
Said2024-12-04
Announced, before bills could be filed for the 89th Legislature, that Senate Bill 3 would be a bill to ban all consumable THC in Texas. The release on his official site is headed "Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Launches Major Legislative Initiative to Ban All THC", with the subheading "Thousands of Stores Have Opened to Sell All Types of Dangerous Products with Unlimited THC. These Stores Even Target Your Children." In it he said: "Under Senate Bill 3, these products, and all forms of THC, will be banned in Texas."
He added: "Senate Bill 3, which will be carried by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, will ban all forms of THC and keep these unsafe products off our streets. We are not going to allow these retailers to circumvent the law and put Texans' lives in danger." He described the 2019 hemp law as having been passed "to bolster agriculture in Texas" and said retailers had then "exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public".
-
Said2025-01-29
Placed the THC ban third on his published list of priority bills for the 89th regular session. The list on his official site names "Senate Bill 3 – Banning THC in Texas" between school choice and the homestead exemption. The same release explains what the numbering means: "Thousands of bills are filed by Texas senators each session. Traditionally, bill numbers 1 through 20 have indicated the Lt. Governor's priorities for the Senate.
In 2017, I increased the number of priority bills to 30. This year, I am increasing the number of priority bills to 40." He added: "Senators like having a low bill number since it shows their bill is a priority of the Lt. Governor and has a high probability of passage."
-
Said2025-03-19
Issued an official statement on the Texas Senate passage of Senate Bill 3: "Since 2019, retailers across Texas have exploited a state agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to Texans, including children." The statement said: "Today, the Texas Senate drew a line in the sand and passed SB 3 to ban all forms of intoxicating THC", and: "I named SB 3 a major legislative initiative of mine because I will not allow retailers to circumvent the law and put Texans’, and especially children’s, lives in danger."
-
Said2025-05-27
During the Texas Senate’s proceedings on HB 46, the Compassionate Use Program expansion, on 27 May 2025, said: “What we have done this session, members, is eradicate bad actors who are poisoning our community, children and adults, and making a massive profit off people”, and “We have wiped them out and are now building one of the biggest Compassionate Use Programs in the country.” Reported by the Texas Tribune the same night.
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.
-
Said2025-06-23
Publicly criticised Governor Abbott over the veto of Senate Bill 3 and rejected calls to regulate hemp-derived THC rather than ban it.
-
Said2025-06-23
Held a press conference the day after the veto. In a published transcript of the recording he said: "I know he gave the reasons and his proclamation, but our team simply doesn’t agree with those reasons, and we’ll talk through that." On regulation versus prohibition he said: "The best way to protect the adults and the children is to ban the product. Is to ban the product. You cannot regulate eight to 9,000 locations.
We do not have enough law enforcement to do so, and they’ll continue to sell it skirting the law." He also said: "And I will not sign a bill that legalizes marijuana in Texas", and "I’m not mad at the governor, but I’m not going to legalize marijuana in Texas. And if people want to vote me out of office for that, so be it."
⚠️These are spoken words taken from a transcript of the recording, not text he published.
- Full press conference on the veto, recorded by an Austin television station (33:46) 1:07, 5:40, 11:48-13:45 and 25:38quotes are from a published transcript of this recording, not transcribed here
-
Said2025-07-22
Announced the Senate's bill list for the first called special session of the 89th Legislature, the day after it convened, giving the renewed THC ban the fifth slot: "SB 5 – Banning THC, by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock". The list placed it alongside natural disaster recovery, flood warning communications, Hill Country relief funding and redistricting.
-
Said2025-07-30
Issued an official statement on the Senate passage of Senate Bill 5, the special-session successor: "Since 2019, bad actors have taken advantage of a loophole in Texas agriculture law to sell potent, intoxicating forms of THC that have nothing to do with agriculture." He added: "I made Senate Bill 5 a top legislative priority for the Senate because we refuse to let these rogue retailers exploit loopholes in state law to sell dangerous THC products into our communities."
-
Said2025-08-19
Issued an official statement after the Senate passed Senate Bill 6 of the second called session, the third THC ban bill of 2025. He said: "Senate Bill 6 has been a top legislative priority because the Texas Senate refuses to allow bad actors to use loopholes in agriculture law to flood our communities with potent, intoxicating products disguised as harmless treats." He also said: "Today marked the third time since May that the Texas Senate has taken bold action to protect our communities by passing legislation to ban intoxicating THC", cited a poll finding that "72% of voters who voted Republican in the last three primaries support banning all THC", and closed: "Texans expect action—and the Senate will continue delivering until SB 6 becomes law."
The release states that "SB 6 does not alter the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) or laws related to the farming of hemp" and "does not impact the sale or use of CBD or CBG products."
-
Said2025-09-12
In an official statement responding to the Governor THC executive order, stated continued support for the Texas Compassionate Use Program and for medical THC prescribed by doctors.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: Affirms the existing narrow medical programme as the legitimate channel while proposing no expansion of it. Not a move in either direction, so it is shown but not scored.
-
Said2025-09-12
In the same official statement, stated opposition to any pathway that could open the door to recreational marijuana in Texas.
-
Official act2026-03-27
Issued the 2026 interim charges to the Texas Senate, the instructions that set what each Senate committee studies before the next session. The charges to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services include one headed "Addressing Societal Impacts of THC Product Consumption", reading: "Study the impact of THC on increased health care costs, mental health emergency detentions, and the risk of being diagnosed with a THC-induced psychotic disorder.
Make recommendations to decrease health care and criminal justice costs." This is the only THC, hemp or cannabis item in the 2026 charges: the first round issued 2026-01-30 and the seven additional charges issued 2026-07-27 were both read in full and contain none.
⚠️The charge directs a study, not legislation, and names no bill.
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.
- 2026-10-14 questionnaire — Wrote that "it is high time we legalized and regulated the consumption of marijuana by adults" and that "Adults 21 and older should be able to purchase these products from licensed retailers", answered "Strongly Support" on maintaining a legal hemp marketplace and "Yes" on regulation being preferable to prohibition, and called for testing, THC labelling, child-resistant packaging and limits on potency, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-10-07 questionnaire — Criticises the restriction of THC products as one of the things her opponent chose to ban, without setting out a proposal of her own in this answer, counted as +1 at weight 2
- 2026-09-19 statement — Campaign page states Texas needs a sensible regulatory framework for THC rather than outright prohibition, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-09-15 statement — Described her own rally as one to legalise and regulate cannabis products like alcohol, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-09-04 statement — Backed a ballot measure making low-level marijuana possession the lowest enforcement priority and said public resources should not be spent on low-level cannabis possession cases, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-08-25 statement — Said she favours treating THC like alcohol and taxing it, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-03-03 questionnaire — Asked directly what cannabis legislation she would support, she described regulating cannabis for adults like alcohol, with an age limit of 21. That is support for lawful adult access, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-02-03 questionnaire — Said she believes in regulating THC in a similar fashion to alcohol, with no sale under 21, labelling of strength and ingredients, and no marketing to young people. That is support for lawful adult access, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2025-06-01 Texas Compassionate-Use Program HB 46 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 3
- 2025-05-22 statement — Filed a statement of vote recording that she would have cast a Nay on the hemp-THC ban on final passage, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2025-05-21 Consumable hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoids SB 3 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 3
- 2025-05-15 Grant programme for testing suspected THC HB 4879 — voted, counted as -1 at weight 3
- 2025-05-14 Grant programme for testing suspected THC HB 4879 — voted, counted as -1 at weight 3
- 2025-05-13 Texas Compassionate-Use Program HB 46 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 3
- 2025-05-12 Texas Compassionate-Use Program HB 46 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 3
- 2023-05-10 Repeal of the ban on hemp products for smoking HB 4918 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2023-04-27 Penalties for possession HB 218 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 1.8
- 2023-04-12 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1805 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2023-04-11 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1805 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2023-04-10 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 3535 — signed on, counted as +1 at weight 1.2
- 2021-05-30 Penalties for tetrahydrocannabinols HB 2593 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 1.8
- 2021-05-28 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1535 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-05-05 More Compassionate-Use dispensing licences HB 1108 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-30 Penalties for possession HB 441 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-29 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1535 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-28 Penalties for tetrahydrocannabinols HB 2593 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-21 Defence to prosecution for small amounts HB 1694 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-07 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1535 — signed on, counted as +1 at weight 1.2
- 2019-05-24 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 3703 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 0.9
- 2019-05-08 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 3703 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 0.9
- 2019-04-30 Penalties for possession HB 63 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 0.9
- 2019-04-29 Penalties for possession HB 63 — voted, counted as +2 at weight 0.9
- 2019-03-06 Penalties for possession HB 63 — signed on, counted as +2 at weight 0.6
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: 1.266. Full method and the bill table.
-
Coauthored2019-03-06
Signed on as a coauthor of HB 63 in the 86th Legislature, which reduced the criminal and licensing consequences of possessing small amounts of marihuana and drug paraphernalia. It passed the House and died in the Senate. The Legislature’s author table records the sign-on date as 2019-03-06.
-
Vote2019-04-24
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 609, final House passage of HB 1325, the 2019 bill on the production and regulation of hemp and products made from hemp, which carried 144 Yeas to 0 Nays, with 1 present and not voting.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site deliberately does not score HB 1325 (86th Legislature), so a record on it moves no number.
Why HB 1325 is not scored
Production and regulation of hemp — the 2019 bill that brought Texas into line with the federal hemp definition. It is an agricultural and licensing framework rather than an access measure, and it is read the same way as the other hemp-production bills here, so it is not scored. Its votes are still shown.
-
Vote2019-04-29
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 780, passage to engrossment of CSHB 63, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of possessing small amounts of marihuana and drug paraphernalia, which carried 98 Yeas to 43 Nays.
-
Vote2019-04-30
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 801, final House passage of HB 63, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of possessing small amounts of marihuana and drug paraphernalia, which carried 103 Yeas to 42 Nays.
-
Vote2019-05-08
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1097, third-reading passage of HB 3703, widening the medical conditions for which low-THC cannabis may be prescribed under the Compassionate-Use Program, which carried 133 Yeas to 10 Nays.
-
Vote2019-05-22
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1713, the motion to concur in the Senate’s amendments to HB 1325, the hemp production and regulation bill, sending it to the Governor, which carried 140 Yeas to 3 Nays, with 2 present and not voting.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site deliberately does not score HB 1325 (86th Legislature), so a record on it moves no number.
Why HB 1325 is not scored
Production and regulation of hemp — the 2019 bill that brought Texas into line with the federal hemp definition. It is an agricultural and licensing framework rather than an access measure, and it is read the same way as the other hemp-production bills here, so it is not scored. Its votes are still shown.
-
Vote2019-05-24
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1824, the motion to concur in the Senate’s changes to HB 3703, the Compassionate-Use Program expansion, sending it to the Governor, which carried 136 Yeas to 5 Nays.
-
Coauthored2021-04-07
Signed on as a coauthor of HB 1535 (87R), widening the medical conditions qualifying for low-THC cannabis under the Compassionate-Use Program, on 2021-04-07.
-
Vote2021-04-21
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 384, House passage of HB 1694, creating a defence to prosecution for small-amount possession when a person seeks emergency help for an overdose, which carried 145 Yeas to 2 Nays.
-
Vote2021-04-28
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 484, final House passage of HB 2593, moving possession of tetrahydrocannabinols into a new penalty group whose lowest tiers are misdemeanors, out of one where any amount is a felony, which carried 108 Yeas to 33 Nays.
-
Vote2021-04-29
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 535, House passage of HB 1535, widening the medical conditions qualifying for low-THC cannabis under the Compassionate-Use Program, which carried 134 Yeas to 12 Nays.
-
Vote2021-04-30
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 596, third-reading passage of HB 441, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of marihuana and drug paraphernalia possession, which carried 88 Yeas to 40 Nays.
-
Vote2021-05-04
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 663, third-reading passage of HB 3948, on the production and regulation of hemp and consumable hemp products, which carried 132 Yeas to 13 Nays, with 2 present and not voting.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site deliberately does not score HB 3948 (87th Legislature), so a record on it moves no number.
Why HB 3948 is not scored
Hemp and consumable hemp production and regulation. Read as an industry framework rather than an access measure; the direction is arguable, so it is not scored.
-
Vote2021-05-05
Voted Aye in the House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety to report HB 1108, widening who may be licensed to operate, direct or work for a Compassionate-Use dispensing organisation, favorably to the full House. The committee minutes record the record vote as 7 Ayes, 2 Nays, 0 present not voting and 0 absent, and name them in the printed Ayes list as "Goodwin".
-
Vote2021-05-28
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1688, the motion to concur in the Senate’s changes to HB 1535, the Compassionate-Use Program expansion, which the Senate had narrowed, which carried 119 Yeas to 25 Nays.
-
Vote2021-05-30
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1759, adoption of the conference committee report on HB 2593, the final vote sending the tetrahydrocannabinol penalty bill to the Governor, which carried 95 Yeas to 44 Nays.
-
Coauthored2023-04-10
Signed on as a coauthor of HB 3535 in the 88th Legislature, a bill relating to the medical use of low-THC cannabis by patients with certain medical conditions. The Legislature’s author table records the sign-on date as 2023-04-10. It was referred to the House Committee on Public Health and never received a vote.
-
Vote2023-04-11
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 143, passage to engrossment of CSHB 1805, widening the medical conditions qualifying for low-THC cannabis, which carried 121 Yeas to 23 Nays.
-
Vote2023-04-12
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 153, final House passage of HB 1805, widening the medical conditions qualifying for low-THC cannabis, which carried 127 Yeas to 19 Nays.
-
Vote2023-04-14
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 203, third-reading passage of HB 513, increasing the penalty for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance or marihuana causing death or serious bodily injury. The bill passed, 140 Yeas to 2 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance or marihuana causing death or serious bodily injury; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty."
The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin", the only entry in the roll bearing the surname. The bare surname is resolved by seat: this member sits for House District 47, and Texas Legislature Online's member page for the 88th Legislature names that district's representative as Vikki Goodwin.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: House Bill 513 is on this site's unscored list: Increases the penalty for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury. That is an overdose-death measure, not a question about lawful cannabis access, and scoring it either way would misrepresent the vote. The act is recorded without moving the score.
-
Vote2023-04-25
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 446, third-reading passage of HB 114, on the possession, use, or delivery of marihuana or e-cigarettes on or near public school property or at certain school events. The measure carried, 145 Yeas to 2 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the possession, use, or delivery of marihuana or e-cigarettes on or near public school property or at certain school events." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin"; the printed form is matched to this member against the whole membership of the 88th House, who sat for House District 47.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: House Bill 114 is on this site’s unscored list: a school-discipline measure, not a cannabis-access measure. Its effect on cannabis is which school-discipline placement a student caught with marihuana receives — it moves marihuana into its own paragraph of Education Code Section 37.006(a)(2), out of the mandatory-expulsion trigger in Section 37.007(a)(3) and into the at-capacity in-school-suspension provision of Section 37.009(a-1) — and it does not change who may possess, buy, grow, prescribe or be prosecuted for cannabis.
The change the bill was carried for was adding e-cigarettes. Both of its record votes were near-unanimous and neither separates the candidates on this site: every one of the 97 who appear in the passage roll is in the Yeas. The act is recorded without moving the score.
-
Vote2023-04-27
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 605, third-reading passage of HB 218, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of possessing marihuana and certain tetrahydrocannabinols, which carried 87 Yeas to 59 Nays.
-
Vote2023-05-02
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 812, third-reading passage of HB 2818, on hemp production and research permits. The bill passed, 126 Yeas to 17 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the production and regulation of hemp; providing an administrative penalty; requiring a permit to conduct certain research involving hemp; authorizing a fee; creating a criminal offense." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin", the only entry in the roll bearing the surname.
The bare surname is resolved by seat: this member sits for House District 47, and Texas Legislature Online's member page for the 88th Legislature names that district's representative as Vikki Goodwin.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: House Bill 2818 is on this site's unscored list: Hemp production and research permits. An agricultural measure whose direction on consumer access is not clear from the bill. The act is recorded without moving the score.
-
Vote2023-05-10
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1421, third reading of HB 4918, on the processing, manufacture and sale of hemp products for smoking, which failed to pass 69-75 and was reconsidered later the same evening. The bill failed to pass, 69 Yeas to 75 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the processing, manufacture, and sale of hemp products for smoking." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin", the only entry in the roll bearing the surname.
The bare surname is resolved by seat: this member sits for House District 47, and Texas Legislature Online's member page for the 88th Legislature names that district's representative as Vikki Goodwin.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: ⚠️This vote was annulled by the House itself, so it is shown and not counted. House Bill 4918 failed on this roll call, and the House then agreed to reconsider it later the same evening, after which the bill passed on Record Vote 1477. Only that final roll call moves the score. A member appearing both here and on Record Vote 1477 has not been recorded twice over: the House put the same question twice, and the second answer is the one that stood.
-
Vote2023-05-10
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1476, the motion to reconsider the vote by which HB 4918, on hemp products for smoking, had failed to pass earlier that evening. The motion prevailed, 97 Yeas to 31 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the processing, manufacture, and sale of hemp products for smoking." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin", the only entry in the roll bearing the surname.
The bare surname is resolved by seat: this member sits for House District 47, and Texas Legislature Online's member page for the 88th Legislature names that district's representative as Vikki Goodwin.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: ⚠️A procedural motion, not a position on the bill, so it is shown and not counted. This roll call is the motion to reconsider the vote by which House Bill 4918 had failed earlier the same evening; the motion prevailed 97 to 31 and the bill then passed on Record Vote 1477. A member may be willing to take a question again without that telling you what they think the answer is, which is why motions of this kind never move the score.
-
Vote2023-05-10
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1477, third reading of HB 4918, on the processing, manufacture and sale of hemp products for smoking, on the reconsidered vote, which passed 84-59. The bill passed, 84 Yeas to 59 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the processing, manufacture, and sale of hemp products for smoking." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin", the only entry in the roll bearing the surname.
The bare surname is resolved by seat: this member sits for House District 47, and Texas Legislature Online's member page for the 88th Legislature names that district's representative as Vikki Goodwin.
-
Vote2023-05-26
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 2168, the motion to concur in the Senate’s changes to HB 114, on the possession, use, or delivery of marihuana or e-cigarettes on or near public school property or at certain school events, the vote that finally passed it. The measure carried, 136 Yeas to 6 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the possession, use, or delivery of marihuana or e-cigarettes on or near public school property or at certain school events."
The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin"; the printed form is matched to this member against the whole membership of the 88th House, who sat for House District 47.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: House Bill 114 is on this site’s unscored list: a school-discipline measure, not a cannabis-access measure. Its effect on cannabis is which school-discipline placement a student caught with marihuana receives — it moves marihuana into its own paragraph of Education Code Section 37.006(a)(2), out of the mandatory-expulsion trigger in Section 37.007(a)(3) and into the at-capacity in-school-suspension provision of Section 37.009(a-1) — and it does not change who may possess, buy, grow, prescribe or be prosecuted for cannabis.
The change the bill was carried for was adding e-cigarettes. Both of its record votes were near-unanimous and neither separates the candidates on this site: every one of the 97 who appear in the passage roll is in the Yeas. The act is recorded without moving the score.
-
Vote2025-05-12
Recorded Yea on Record Vote 2184, passage to engrossment of CSHB 46, the Compassionate Use Program expansion, which carried 118 Yeas to 16 Nays. They are named in the printed Yea list in the Texas House Journal for that day.
-
Vote2025-05-13
Recorded Yea on Record Vote 2257, final House passage of HB 46, the Compassionate Use Program expansion, which carried 122 Yeas to 21 Nays. They are named in the printed Yea list in the Texas House Journal for that day.
-
Vote2025-05-14
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 2514, passage to engrossment of CSHB 4879, funding local law enforcement to test substances suspected of containing delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, which carried 121 Yeas to 15 Nays.
-
Vote2025-05-14
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 2495, passage of SB 1833, as amended, to third reading, on the use of a social media platform in furtherance of a controlled-substance delivery offence. The measure carried, 135 Yeas to 2 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the use of a social media platform in furtherance of an offense involving the delivery of a controlled substance; increasing criminal penalties." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin"; the printed form is matched to this member against the whole membership of the 89th House, who sat for House District 47.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: Senate Bill 1833 is on this site’s unscored list: it raises the penalty for delivering any controlled substance when a social media platform is used to arrange the delivery, and the floor remarks describe it wholly as a response to counterfeit fentanyl pills sold to schoolchildren. The only cannabis-specific change the House made to it, Amendment No. 1, adopted immediately before Record Vote 2495, exempts delivery of four ounces of marihuana or less from the enhancement.
Its direction on cannabis access is therefore arguable, and the vote is recorded without moving the score.
-
Vote2025-05-15
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 2629, final House passage of HB 4879, funding local law enforcement to test substances suspected of containing delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, which carried 128 Yeas to 11 Nays.
-
Vote2025-05-15
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 2594, third-reading passage of SB 1833, on the use of a social media platform in furtherance of a controlled-substance delivery offence. The measure carried, 136 Yeas to 3 Nays. The bill is captioned "Relating to the use of a social media platform in furtherance of an offense involving the delivery of a controlled substance; increasing criminal penalties." The journal prints this member in the Yea list as "Goodwin"; the printed form is matched to this member against the whole membership of the 89th House, who sat for House District 47.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: Senate Bill 1833 is on this site’s unscored list: it raises the penalty for delivering any controlled substance when a social media platform is used to arrange the delivery, and the floor remarks describe it wholly as a response to counterfeit fentanyl pills sold to schoolchildren. The only cannabis-specific change the House made to it, Amendment No. 1, adopted immediately before Record Vote 2495, exempts delivery of four ounces of marihuana or less from the enhancement.
Its direction on cannabis access is therefore arguable, and the vote is recorded without moving the score.
-
Vote2025-05-21
Voted Nay on passage of Senate Bill 3 to third reading in the Texas House. Record Vote 3192: 95 Yeas, 44 Nays, 2 present not voting. She is named in the printed Nays roll.
-
Vote2025-05-21
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 3188, adoption of Amendment No. 1 to CSSB 3, the consumable-hemp bill, offered by its House sponsor, deferring the licensing requirements the bill adds until January 1, 2027, which carried 136 Yeas to 0 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: A floor amendment does not take the direction of the bill it amends. Amendment No. 1 to SB 3 rewrote the possession offence downward while the bill itself restricted consumable hemp, so a Yea on the amendment and a Yea on the bill point opposite ways. This record is shown because the member is named in the journal, and it is kept out of the score because its direction is not ours to assert.
-
Vote2025-05-21
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 3190, adoption of Amendment No. 4 to CSSB 3, amending Amendment No. 2, rewriting the possession offence and its deferred-disposition and prior-conviction provisions, which carried 126 Yeas to 10 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: A floor amendment does not take the direction of the bill it amends. Amendment No. 1 to SB 3 rewrote the possession offence downward while the bill itself restricted consumable hemp, so a Yea on the amendment and a Yea on the bill point opposite ways. This record is shown because the member is named in the journal, and it is kept out of the score because its direction is not ours to assert.
-
Vote2025-05-21
Texas House: recorded Nay on Record Vote 3191, adoption of Amendment No. 2, as amended, to CSSB 3 — a complete substitute for everything below the enacting clause, and from that point the text of the bill, which carried 86 Yeas to 53 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: A floor amendment does not take the direction of the bill it amends. Amendment No. 1 to SB 3 rewrote the possession offence downward while the bill itself restricted consumable hemp, so a Yea on the amendment and a Yea on the bill point opposite ways. This record is shown because the member is named in the journal, and it is kept out of the score because its direction is not ours to assert.
-
Vote2025-05-22
Recorded absent on final House passage the following day, Record Vote 3304, and entered a formal statement of vote in the House Journal that her vote failed to register and she would have voted the other way.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site scores a vote only on a recorded Yea or Nay, and reads no direction into an absence or a present-not-voting.
-
Said2025-05-22
Filed a statement of vote printed in the House Journal on the final House passage of the hemp-THC bill, Record Vote 3304: "When Record No. 3304 was taken, my vote failed to register. I would have voted no." The roll call itself records her as absent on that vote, so the printed tally alone does not show her position.
-
Vote2025-05-22
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 3303, adoption of Amendment No. 1 to SB 3 on third reading, rewriting the possession offence in the bill and its eligibility for deferred disposition, which carried 108 Yeas to 30 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: A floor amendment does not take the direction of the bill it amends. Amendment No. 1 to SB 3 rewrote the possession offence downward while the bill itself restricted consumable hemp, so a Yea on the amendment and a Yea on the bill point opposite ways. This record is shown because the member is named in the journal, and it is kept out of the score because its direction is not ours to assert.
-
Vote2025-06-01
Recorded Yea on Record Vote 4163, adoption of the conference committee report on HB 46, the Compassionate Use Program expansion, which carried 138 Yeas to 1 Nay. They are named in the printed Yea list in the Texas House Journal for that day.
-
Vote2025-06-01
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 4162, adoption of HR 1523, suspending House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4) so that the HB 46 conference committee could add text providing that a physician may prescribe more than one package of low-THC cannabis in a 90-day period, which carried 128 Yeas to 12 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: A vote to suspend a House rule so that a conference committee may consider particular text is a vote about procedure, not a recorded position on the text. Shown, not scored.
-
Vote2025-06-01
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 4164, adoption of SCR 56, the first of the two enrolling corrections to HB 46, which instructed the enrolling clerk of the house of representatives to make corrections in the enrolled text of HB 46, the Compassionate-Use Program expansion. The resolution was adopted 137 Yeas to 0 Nays with 1 present not voting, and the House Journal for the 80th Day names this member in the printed Yeas list.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site deliberately does not score SCR 56 (89th Legislature), so a record on it moves no number.
Why SCR 56 is not scored
A concurrent resolution, not a bill, and the second of two enrolling-clerk corrections to HB 46 — the sibling of HCR 171, ruled the same way and for the same reason. SCR 56 instructed the enrolling clerk of the house of representatives to make a correction in the enrolled text of HB 46, the Compassionate-Use Program expansion. Adopted in the Senate 2025-06-01, Yeas 31 Nays 0, and in the House the same day by Record Vote 4164, 137 Yeas to 0 Nays with 1 present not voting, House Journal 80th Day page 7902 (journals.house.texas.gov/hjrnl/89r/html/89RDAY80FINAL.HTM).
What it said. The House journal prints only the recital, "Instructing the enrolling clerk of the house of representatives to make corrections in HB 46", so the operative text was read in the Senate Journal for 2025-06-01 (journals.senate.texas.gov/sjrnl/89r/html/89RSJ06-01-F.htm), which prints the resolution in full: "RESOLVED by the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas, That the enrolling clerk of the house of representatives be instructed to make the following corrections to the enrolled version of House Bill No. 46: In SECTION 15 of the bill, in amended Section 169.003(a)(3)(A), Occupations Code (page 10, between lines 8 and 9), immediately following added subparagraph (xi), insert the following appropriately numbered subparagraph and renumber subsequent subparagraphs of that paragraph accordingly: (__) Crohn’s disease or other inflammatory bowel disease;".
⚠️Read alone it looks like adding a qualifying condition to the medical programme, which would be an expansion of access — and that is the trap, running the opposite way to its sibling’s. HCR 171 struck a sentence and looked restrictive; SCR 56 inserts a condition and looks expansive; both are neither, because both conform the enrolled bill to the text the two chambers actually adopted. The test is whether the inserted language was already in what passed, and it was.
The conference committee report on HB 46, laid before the house and printed in the House Journal 80th Day at page 7900 (journals.house.texas.gov/hjrnl/89r/html/89RDAY80FINAL.HTM), sets out Section 15 amending Section 169.003 and lists the qualifying diagnoses in order: "(xi) traumatic brain injury; (xii) Crohn’s disease or other inflammatory bowel disease; (xiii) a terminal illness or a condition for which a patient is receiving hospice or palliative care".
The position matches the resolution exactly — SCR 56 asks for the insertion "immediately following added subparagraph (xi)", and the adopted report prints Crohn’s as (xii), immediately following (xi). That report was adopted by the House on 2025-06-01 by Record Vote 4163, 138 Yeas to 1 Nay, and by the Senate the same day, Yeas 31 Nays 0. The subparagraph had therefore already been voted into the bill by both chambers; the enrolled copy had dropped it, and SCR 56 put it back.
A Yes on an enrolling correction is not a position on which diseases qualify. The enrolled text itself cannot be checked from here: capitol.texas.gov disallows /TLODOCS/ to us. Downstream, measured: 121 verified acts cite this resolution, across 121 distinct candidates (49 Democrats, 72 Republicans), and every one of them already holds a published number. classify() returns "other" for all 121, so no published number moves whichever way this is ruled — the ruling is what lets the acts be printed with a written reason instead of sitting unjudged.
HB 46 itself is scored, at +1, and that is where a member’s position on the Compassionate-Use expansion is read.
-
Vote2025-06-02
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 4167, adoption of HCR 171, the second enrolling correction to HB 46, which instructed the enrolling clerk of the house to strike from the enrolled bill a sentence allowing low-THC cannabis prescribed for pulmonary inhalation to exceed one percent tetrahydrocannabinols by weight in each dosage unit. The resolution was adopted 138 Yeas to 0 Nays with 1 present not voting, and the House Journal for the 81st Day names this member in the printed Yeas list.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site deliberately does not score HCR 171 (89th Legislature), so a record on it moves no number.
Why HCR 171 is not scored
A concurrent resolution, not a bill: it instructed the enrolling clerk to strike from the enrolled HB 46, in Section 16, added Section 169.006(b), Occupations Code (page 11, lines 16-20), the sentence “Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, low-THC cannabis prescribed under Subsection (a) for pulmonary inhalation may exceed one percent by weight of tetrahydrocannabinols in each dosage unit of the substance to be aerosolized or vaporized.”
Adopted 2025-06-02 by Record Vote 4167, 138 Yeas to 0 Nays with 1 present not voting, House Journal 81st Day pages 7921-7922.
⚠️Read alone it looks like stripping a potency allowance out of the medical programme, and the journals say otherwise. The sentence entered the bill through King's floor Amendment No. 1 on second reading, House Journal 62nd Day, 2025-05-12 (journals.house.texas.gov/hjrnl/89r/html/89RDAY62FINAL.HTM), item (10); item (9) of the same amendment fixed the definition of low-THC cannabis at not more than one percent by weight in each dosage unit, which is the benchmark the sentence excepts itself from.
The conference committee report laid before the house on 2025-06-01 replaced that cap with not more than 10 milligrams in each dosage unit, and its own text of Section 169.006(b) consists only of the second sentence: the notwithstanding clause does not appear anywhere in the conference report as printed, House Journal 80th Day page 7900. So the struck sentence was not in the text either chamber finally adopted and it pointed at a cap the same report had deleted.
HCR 171 conformed the enrolled bill to the bill that passed, which is what its own recital says and what 138 to 0 looks like; HB 46 took a second enrolling correction the day before, SCR 56 at Record Vote 4164. A Yes on an enrolling correction is not a position on potency. The enrolled text itself cannot be checked from here: capitol.texas.gov disallows /TLODOCS/ to us.
-
Questionnaire2026-02-03
Answered the Dallas Morning News candidate questionnaire in its 2026 voter guide. The paper asked every candidate in the race: "How has the president’s reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule III drug complicated efforts to regulate THC products in Texas? What else needs to happen at the legislative level?" The answer given was: "The reclassification seems to have complicated efforts to regulate THC products. I believe in regulating THC in a similar fashion to alcohol.
THC should not be sold to people under 21, it should be labeled to indicate the strength and ingredients, it should not be marketed to youth, etc."
-
Questionnaire2026-03-03
Answered the League of Women Voters of Texas candidate questionnaire, printed in its Voters Guide for the 2026 primary election. The League asked every candidate "What legislation would you support regarding cannabis?" She answered that she supports treating cannabis "like alcohol with regulations", setting out a purchase age of 21, no sale next to schools, no marketing to children, and labelling that states contents and strength, and adding that people with cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments should be able to keep buying a product that has helped them "without the broken TCUP" — the Texas Compassionate Use Program.
⚠️The guide carries no publication date, so the date of the primary it was published for is used.
⚠️It is the primary edition, not a general-election answer.
-
Said2026-08-25
Said she favours treating THC like alcohol and taxing it to fund her healthcare plan: "I am in favor of treating THC like alcohol." and "A part of my healthcare plan is taxing THC like we do alcohol and cigarettes and use that for healthcare."
⚠️The date is the reporting date, not the date she Spoke: the outlet that carried the words published them on 2026-08-25 and places the remarks "last week", crediting a newspaper whose own site we are not permitted to read.
⚠️And not at a rally: an earlier version of this entry placed these words at her Houston rally. That was our error — the rally took place after the remarks were first reported.
-
Said2026-09-04
Backed the Houston city ballot measure on the November 2026 ballot that would make misdemeanour marijuana possession the lowest enforcement priority for Houston police and ban no-knock warrants. She said: "We should not be wasting public resources and ruining lives over low-level cannabis possession. We should not be barging into people's homes with no-knock raids that escalate danger for both residents and law enforcement", and: "Houston voters have an opportunity to lead the state with a smarter, safer approach to public safety.
I believe in local government, and communities should have the power to demand policies that reflect their values and prioritize safety and dignity."
⚠️The date is the reporting date, not the date she Spoke: the cannabis-policy outlet that carried the words published them on 2026-09-04 and gives no date for the statement itself. The Houston Press separately reported on 2026-09-15 that she held a Houston rally "to show her support of a November ballot measure that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana within the city of Houston".
-
Said2026-09-15
Ahead of a Houston rally said: "It’s a rally to legalize and regulate cannabis products, kind of like alcohol is regulated", and "A lot of people are unhappy about what’s happened because everyday people use it for pain relief, anxiety, sleep aids, all sorts of things." At the rally she said: "Purchase and possession of products that you could buy over the counter just a few weeks ago are now illegal. Thousands of Texas manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers lost their business overnight.
Consumers who relied on tested, labeled products are now buying from an unregulated market."
-
Said2026-09-19
Campaign page on hemp and THC states: "Texas needs a sensible regulatory framework for THC, rather than outright prohibition", and lists "Age restrictions with real enforcement", "Mandatory testing and honest labeling", "Clear rules keeping products away from schools", and "Legal protection for Texas hemp businesses and jobs". The page carries no date, so 2026-09-19 is the date it was read, not a publication date.
-
Questionnaire2026-10-07
Answered KVIA ABC-7's 2026 voter-guide questionnaire, published 2026-10-07. Asked what makes her the best candidate, she wrote: "My opponent has been in this seat for 12 years. In the past few years he seems to be focused on finding what else Texas can ban or restrict. THC products. Books in school libraries." The questionnaire asked no question about cannabis; this is the only cannabis reference in her answers.
-
Questionnaire2026-10-14
Wrote that "it is high time we legalized and regulated the consumption of marijuana by adults", in the Texas Hemp Business Council’s 2026 candidate questionnaire. The council is a hemp industry trade association; it put twenty questions to 225 candidates for the Texas Legislature, statewide office and the United States Senate, and publishes the answers it receives in full, without editing. These are the candidate’s own words, submitted by the candidate.
Asked for her vision for the future of the Texas hemp industry and the regulatory framework she would support, the answer was, in full: "I hope that our hemp industry will have a chance to develop while still being regulated in a way that protects consumers and provides companies with some guidelines to follow. My position against the ban on THC-containing products was motivated by my conviction that such problems could be solved without shutting down the whole industry.
In the next legislative period, I would vote for making age verification, independent testing of products, proper labeling of THC content, and special packaging for these products mandatory. It is important to limit the potency of such products and make sure that their promotion among kids is impossible. It seems that people should be able to buy such products in various forms, for example, as edibles or beverages.
Also, I believe that it is high time we legalized and regulated the consumption of marijuana by adults." Asked who should be permitted to sell THC, to whom, at what dose, in what form and subject to what safeguards: "I support legalizing and regulating marijuana and THC products in Texas. Adults 21 and older should be able to purchase these products from licensed retailers, and those retailers should be responsible for verifying the age of their customers.
I don't have a problem with THC being sold in different forms, including edibles, drinks, and other products. What matters to me is that people know what they're buying and that it's safe. Products need to be tested, the amount of THC needs to be clearly labeled, and the packaging needs to be child-resistant. We should also prohibit advertising directed at children. I would want to work with medical professionals and others familiar with THC products to determine reasonable limits on dosage.
I don't believe we should be setting those limits arbitrarily, especially when different products can affect people differently. We also need to expand access to medical cannabis. I've supported giving doctors more discretion in treating their patients, and that includes allowing them to determine whether cannabis is an appropriate treatment and what dosage their patients need." Asked which enforcement tools Texas should prioritise against illicit operators: "My priority is to ensure hemp businesses are selling safe products.
Prior to the rule changes, DSHS was in charge of ensuring products meet certain guidelines, and if not, allowing the business to bring a product/packing into compliance. If a company doesn’t comply and is mislabeling or selling unlawful products that might harm people, that should be a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the severity of the infraction." 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, "Yes"; on letting adult Texans make their own choices about lawful wellness products, "Yes"; on the federal "Right to Try" law, "Yes"; on distinguishing licensed Texas businesses from illicit operators, "Yes"; on retail regulation, "Reasonable statewide licensing/registration"; on whether the state should devote more time and resources to further restrictive legislation in the 2027 session, "No"; on how high a priority further regulation of low-THC hemp products should be, "Significant priority"; on hemp agriculture, "Strongly Support"; on incentives to keep hemp processing and manufacturing in Texas, "Yes"; on whether state agencies may prohibit products or conduct the Legislature has not expressly prohibited, "Agencies should have broad authority to establish the policy"; on keeping regulatory fees proportionate to the cost of administering the program, "Yes"; on tax policy, "Yes"; on consumer choice, "Yes"; on science- and evidence-based regulation, "Strongly Support"; on reviewing Texas law if federal hemp rules change, "Yes"; on meeting Texas hemp industry representatives during the legislative session, "Yes"; and on considering sponsoring or co-sponsoring legislation after reviewing the industry and constituents, "Yes".
The council also asked for the candidate’s top three priorities for Texas; of that answer one sentence concerns cannabis, and it reads: "I also support legalizing and regulating marijuana and THC products, expanding our medical cannabis program, and allowing doctors to make decisions about what's best for their patients." The council lists her office as "Lieutenant Governor" and her district as "Statewide". The date is the date the council recorded the submission, in Central time.
texashempbusinesscouncil.com, texashempbusinesscouncil.com, texashempbusinesscouncil.com, texashempbusinesscouncil.com
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.
- 2026-10-13 questionnaire — Wrote "Complete and total legalization." and "Legalize for everyone. Medical and recreational use." in reply to a survey on medical cannabis, possession penalties, legal possession and a legal adult-use market: support for full adult legal access, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-06-02 questionnaire — Named ending marijuana prohibition as one of three key campaign messages, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-05-10 statement — Campaign site calls for legalising marijuana in Texas, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-01-08 questionnaire — Named decriminalisation of marijuana as the policy area needing immediate attention, counted as +2 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: 2. Full method and the bill table.
-
Questionnaire2026-01-08
Answered the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey question "What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?": "One area of public policy that I feel needs immediate attention is the decriminalization of marijuana. In the United States, cannabis is legal in 40 of the 50 states for medical use and 24 states for recreational use. Marijuana is a safer recreational drug than alcohol. If you drink until you pass out, there is the possibility that you may never wake up due to alcohol poisoning.
However, if a person smokes until the pass out, they will wake up without the threat of death. It is time to decriminalize marijuana for recreational use and use the tax money to help with addiction programs for all substances and alleviate the burden of property taxes." Ballotpedia records that these responses were submitted on January 8, 2026.
-
Said2026-05-10
Campaign site carries an issues section headed "End Dan Patrick's War on Drugs" calling for legalizing marijuana in Texas: "Most Americans support it, and even in Texas, Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians all agree it should at least be decriminalized." The same section states that the war on drugs "wastes taxpayer money, fuels black markets and violence, and punishes people for personal choices." The page carries no date: 2026-05-10 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.
-
Questionnaire2026-06-02
Named ending marijuana prohibition as one of three key messages of the campaign in a Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, answering "Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign": "Ending the War on Marijuana. Current lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, has made it his life's mission to make all marijuana use illegal in Texas. Meanwhile, over a decades of data has shown that legalizing marijuana did not increase usage but actually reduced the crime statistics surrounding it.
Additionally, the revenue generated from legal sales have been an economic boon to every state that has medical and recreational marijuana sales. The sales tax alone from legal sales would easily generate an additional $400 million to $1.1 billion to the state. This, along with our current budget surplus, could mean funding schools properly and lowering property taxes." Ballotpedia records that these responses were submitted on June 2, 2026.
-
Questionnaire2026-10-13
Answered the 2026 candidate survey of the Marijuana Policy Project, a national cannabis-policy advocacy organisation, and the Texas Cannabis Policy Center, whose 2026 Texas Voter Guide prints the written comments of Senate and statewide candidates who replied. The survey asked four questions: whether to expand the Texas medical cannabis program to allow patients cannabis flower; whether limited possession of THC hemp products and up to one ounce of flower should be a civil fine of up to $100; whether cannabis and THC products should be legal to possess for adults 21 and older; and whether a legal, regulated market should be created for adult-use sales.
His four written comments, in the order the guide prints them, are: "Legalize for everyone. Medical and recreational use.", "No fines for possession of any amount.", "Adults should have the right to choose for themselves what they want to put in their body, not the state." and "Complete and total legalization." The guide's headings beside his second and third comments do not follow the order of the four questions, so the comments are given in the order printed and are not assigned to individual questions.
The guide prints no response dates; the date given is the Last-Modified date the publisher's own server returns for the guide's PDF edition (2026-10-13), the earliest date the answers are documented as published. The guide also prints the organisation's own letter grade and support headings for each candidate; those are its characterisations, not the candidate's words, and are not reproduced here.
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.
- 2026-10-13 questionnaire — His only printed words call for decriminalising possession of hemp-derived products, with exceptions for sales to minors and evasion of regulations. That is support for reducing penalties; these words do not themselves call for legal sales or full legalisation, so the answer is read as +1, as other decriminalisation-only answers on this site are, counted as +1 at weight 2
- 2026-09-20 questionnaire — Argues in his own words for legalising or decriminalising marijuana. That is support for adult legal access, not merely medical, counted as +2 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: 1.5. Full method and the bill table.
-
Said2026-03-21
Campaign site lists three top legislative priorities, the second of which is to "Invest in the rural economy to establish family farm greenhouse food production cooperatives, provide a solid foundation for hemp production and processing, improve infrastructure and promote sustainable agriculture".
⚠️This is a hemp farming position only: hemp appears solely as an agricultural crop, and the page contains no statement about THC, marijuana or legalization. The page carries no date: 2026-03-21 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.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but deliberately left out of the score: Hemp appears only as an agricultural crop, with nothing about THC, marijuana or legal access, so it sets no direction on access.
-
Questionnaire2026-09-20
In his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, which the page states he completed in 2026, under a heading titled The War on Drugs Promotes Crime he writes: "Marijuana use is common and arguably less harmful than either tobacco or alcohol."; "Legalizing marijuana does not lead to increased crime or social ills."; and "Decriminalizing or making it legal will only reduce the number of people charged with possession crimes and incarcerated for marijuana charges."
⚠️The survey carries no date beyond the year and the Internet Archive holds no capture of the page, so 2026-09-20 is the date it was read, not a publication date.
-
Questionnaire2026-10-13
Answered the 2026 candidate survey of the Marijuana Policy Project, a national cannabis-policy advocacy organisation, and the Texas Cannabis Policy Center, whose 2026 Texas Voter Guide prints the written comments of Senate and statewide candidates who replied. The survey asked four questions: whether to expand the Texas medical cannabis program to allow patients cannabis flower; whether limited possession of THC hemp products and up to one ounce of flower should be a civil fine of up to $100; whether cannabis and THC products should be legal to possess for adults 21 and older; and whether a legal, regulated market should be created for adult-use sales.
The guide prints one written comment from him, beside the civil-fine question: "Possession of hemp-derived products should be decriminalized except for particular circumstances such as sales to minors or evasion of regulations." The guide prints no response dates; the date given is the Last-Modified date the publisher's own server returns for the guide's PDF edition (2026-10-13), the earliest date the answer is documented as published.
The guide also prints the organisation's own letter grade and support headings for each candidate; those are its characterisations, not the candidate's words, and are not reproduced here.
What happened next. SB 3 was vetoed on 2025-06-22. Comparable restrictions were later imposed by regulation instead, effective 2026-07-31.
Certified write-ins: Arturo Espinosa, Stephen Samuelson. Not printed on the ballot; votes are counted.
All 4 candidates on this ballot are listed.