We check the numbers, the studies, and the affiliations behind the campaign to ban and restrict cannabis in Texas, and we show our sources every time.
public claims, checked against the evidence
The push to ban and restrict cannabis in Texas is not a standalone local effort. It runs through a chain of connected organizations that traces back to a national group in Virginia. Here is how they fit together, and where their own transparency standard runs into trouble.
THE NETWORKTraces to a single 2014 study that measured suicide attempts among daily, teen-onset users. Not deaths, and not marijuana use in general.
ATTEMPTS != DEATHSA Mountain-West "suicide belt" pattern tied to altitude, firearms, and isolation. It predates 2014 legalization by decades.
PRE-DATES 2014The local "citizens" branding sits on top of a national, out-of-state prohibition network. Follow the structure.
FOLLOW THE STRUCTUREWe pulled the research behind six viral posts from Aubree Adams and the organizations she directs. Almost all of them cite real, peer-reviewed studies. The problem is what happens between the paper and the graphic.
SIX CLAIMS, CHECKEDA Texas Senate committee heard invited testimony for a renewed THC ban on July 7, 2026. If you read the coverage and wondered how the claims hold up against the evidence, here is that check, statement by statement.
CLAIMS FROM THE CAPITOLThe national organization at the top of the chain. Founded in 2013, headquartered in Virginia, and the best-funded opponent of legalization in the country, with a transparency campaign it has resisted applying to itself.
SMART APPROACHES TO MARIJUANAThe project, directed by Aubree Adams, that produces much of the graphic material circulating in the Texas campaign. It grew out of the Parents Opposed to Pot advocacy world and sits inside the national anti-legalization ecosystem.
EVERY BRAIN MATTERSThe Texas-facing entity that appears in legislative testimony for cannabis and hemp restrictions. Directed by Aubree Adams, it presents as local while operating inside a national campaign structure.
CITIZENS FOR A SAFE & HEALTHY TEXASwhy this holds up
We look at public statements, statistics, and affiliations: the things advocates put on the record to move legislation.
Every factual assertion links to a primary source: peer-reviewed studies, government data, court and legislative records, and official filings.
If we get something wrong, we fix it publicly and note the change. Getting it right is the whole point.