In Monahans, Texas, Ward County District Attorney Sarah Stogner has ignited statewide conversation after posting a TikTok weed video that appeared to show her smoking marijuana. Stogner, who represents the 143rd Judicial District, says she has no regrets and would do it again, calling the post an important act of protest.
“Absolutely,” Stogner said when asked if she would repeat the move. “Because it raises awareness, and I’m a nobody from nowhere. With social media and the ability to have a voice, that’s how you have a voice.” Her TikTok weed clip, she explained, was intended to challenge Texas’ marijuana laws and a proposed ban on hemp-derived THC.
She noted that the marijuana in the TikTok weed video was purchased legally from a dispensary in New Mexico, where recreational marijuana is fully legal. Texas, however, still prohibits recreational use, with only narrow medical exceptions.
“I’m tired of our elected officials not doing what’s best for the people on the ground,” she said. “We’ve got real crimes to prosecute — oilfield theft, rape, murder — and right now we can’t even enforce the law as written on marijuana because of testing requirements.” For Stogner, the TikTok weed post was about pushing leaders to refocus priorities.
She argued that legalizing and regulating cannabis would better protect communities. “If we want to protect kids, then we need to legalize and regulate it, and we need to tax it — just like we do with alcohol,” Stogner said. The TikTok weed post, in her view, was simply another unconventional method of drawing attention to the issue, much like her viral nearly nude campaign ad in 2022 when she ran for the Texas Railroad Commission.
While some critics see the TikTok weed stunt as unprofessional, Stogner says she’s an outsider in her own party and isn’t worried about political backlash. “Maybe politically there could be blowback, but the party doesn’t give me support now,” she explained.
She supports expanding Texas’ medical marijuana program and ultimately legalizing cannabis statewide, pointing to states like Oklahoma and Mississippi as examples of more progressive policies. The TikTok weed video, she said, is part of a larger call for lawmakers to stop listening to wealthy donors and start listening to everyday Texans.
“Lawmakers are not law enforcement,” she added. “For law enforcement, I want them to be able to focus on real violent crimes. And to lawmakers — listen to your constituents in the polls.”
For now, the TikTok weed clip continues to make waves online, sparking both criticism and praise, and ensuring that the debate over marijuana laws in Texas remains front and center.
