Buzbee drink causes a stir in council race
City Council representative Mary Nan Huffman called out her new District G competitor, attorney Tony Buzbee, after he announced the launch of a new THC seltzer, calling the drink a public safety risk and a stunt.
Huffman, who is running as the “pro-public safety” candidate, said the product poses a risk to the community in a release posted to her social media sites Tuesday. She also referred to the launch of the drink as Buzbee’s “latest publicity stunt.”
Buzbee, who is serving as the defense lawyer in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial this week in Austin, announced he was running for the District G seat on the last day to file for November’s city elections. He previously ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2019.
Huffman and Buzbee are vying to represent the district that encompasses much of the inner loop, as well as the wealthiest neighborhood in the city, River Oaks. The two also have a third competitor, Enyinna O. Isiguzo.
The THC seltzer company, which Buzbee cofounded, called HoBuzz, are THC-infused drinks marketed as “Texas Sober” and non-alcoholic. Buzbee created the company in partnership with reality TV star Washington Ho, as an alcohol alternative. Ho and Buzbee are vocal about their sobriety. Each can contains 10 milligrams of the Delta-8 strain of THC, which is legal across the U.S., adding up to a less than 0.4% THC content.
Huffman said these seltzers were created using a loophole in the Texas law since they are made from Delta-8, a product derived from hemp, which is part of the marijuana plant, and said the products lack appropriate regulation.
“THC derived from hemp is neither specifically allowed, nor disallowed, under Texas statutes,” Huffman wrote. “But THC is an intoxicant. He is now marketing an intoxicating beverage, free from any regulation by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission or any other state agency.”
Buzbee said there is nothing sneaky or unseemly about the launch of the drink.
“These types of products have been on the market for years,” he added, describing them as a “low calorie, organic, more healthy, legal alternative to alcohol.”
Huffman’s concerns with the seltzer specifically centered on driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. She did not believe that her competitor knows “how many cans of his new THC laced seltzer it will take before a customer is buzzed and is a threat to public safety behind the wheel.”
“He thinks he’s cute and clever and can make a buck off the product,” she added.
Buzbee said that the joint venture with 8th Wonder Brewery has been almost a year in the making and has involved research and development, but he also said that he has no “day-to-day role” in the business, as an investor. He also criticized his competitor in response.
“A council member who is focused on a safe seltzer drink to the point of publicly criticizing it, rather than focusing on the biggest three problems in the city, has a major problem with her priorities and should be replaced,” he said.