Williams is the co-founder of Project Champion, a national coalition of former professional athletes advocating for cannabis reform.
AUSTIN, Texas — Time is running out for Gov. Greg Abbott to decide if he’ll veto Senate Bill 3, sign it or allow it to become law without his signature.
The legislation would ban all consumable hemp-derived products containing THC, the compound in cannabis that gets users high.
Both critics against and advocates for SB 3 have been outspoken, with many opposed to the bill calling on the governor to veto it and many who believe it should be law calling on him to pass it.
One of the people joining the chorus against SB 3 is Texas Longhorns legend Ricky Williams. Williams is the co-founder of Project Champion, a national coalition of former professional athletes advocating for cannabis reform.
“This plant helped me stay balanced and healthy through the grind of professional football,” Williams said in a Project Champion press release. “Now it’s helping veterans manage PTSD and families manage pain. These changes in the law don’t protect Texans – it punishes them. The people of Texas deserve freedom of choice and don’t need the government to tell them what they can and can’t put in their body. If we have learned anything from the past decade it has been that.”
Williams also posted a message about SB 3 on social media.
“I’m calling on my friend, Greg Abbott, to please veto this bill and stand with the veterans, farmers and families who know there is a better way forward,” Williams said in the video.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led the push for SB 3 to pass both the Texas House and Senate. But a recent poll found 61% of Texans surveyed said they don’t think an all-out ban on consumable THC is the answer.
When Abbott was recently asked where he stands on the THC ban, the governor said he has thousands of bills to review before his veto deadline on Sunday and he had not gotten to SB 3 yet.