Long viewed by Republican activists as a stalwart conservative responsible for driving the Texas Legislature rightward, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been criticized by fellow conservatives for his proposed ban on products with tetrahydrocannabinol, The Texas Tribune reported on Tuesday.

Patrick’s target was the multibillion-dollar hemp industry that had been created due to a loophole in a 2019 state law that legalized products providing a similar high to marijuana, something he feared was preying on the state’s young people.

Patrick courted Republicans in both chambers of the Legislature to pass Senate Bill 3, which bans products containing THC — and would eliminate the state’s $8 billion hemp industry and its estimated 50,000 jobs.

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