On Wednesday, the Texas House of Representatives approved , a bill decriminalizing marijuana in Texas. A committee had heard testimony earlier in the day on a separate bill to legalize and regulate cannabis more broadly.
In a voice vote on second reading, the chamber approved the bill from Rep. Joe Moody.
Moody stated on the floor, “I am very proud to present you a law that will lower taxes and improve economic opportunities for Texans. It will also strengthen the ability of the law enforcement agencies to respond to serious crime.” “House Bill 218 achieves this by changing how we enforce the laws surrounding the personal use of cannabis.”
Possessing even a small amount is illegal. He said that we are addressing the issue in a more intelligent way than what we currently do. This will free up hundreds and millions of dollars currently spent on enforcement. It will also allow police to focus their efforts on more serious crimes instead of processing these minor arrests.
The vote came about a week after the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee unanimously approved the measure. This would eliminate the risk of arrest and jail time for low level possession of cannabis, and allow people to erase cannabis-related issues from their criminal record.
The House passed similar decriminalization bills in the two previous legislative sessions, 2021 and 2019 The has been stalled by the Lt. Governor in the Senate . Dan Patrick (R), the Republican who preside over the chamber, is responsible for this.
Patrick may try to block reform legislation again. Marijuana Moment contacted the lieutenant-governor’s office to get a comment. However, representatives had not responded by the time this article was published.
The HB 218 is a combination of two separate measures that were both passed by the House in the most recent session.
The proposed law would reduce the punishment for possession of up one ounce marijuana to a Class C misdemeanor. Instead of facing jail time, it would impose a maximum $500 fine. The current law defines possession of small quantities of cannabis as a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180-days in jail or a maximum fine of $2,000
In addition, the bill specifies that possession up to two ounces cannabis will not lead to an arrest. Instead, violators are cited and released. For a fee of $30, those with convictions for possession up to two ounces marijuana can have their convictions expunged.
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Jax James, Executive Director of Texas NORML, said that the House’s continued commitment to penalty reduction was heartening. “We still have work to do before it reaches the Senate. I encourage my fellow Texans, therefore, to contact their senators and encourage their support as the legislation moves through the legislative procedure.”
The House Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee heard a bill on Wednesday from Moody that would legalize marijuana in a more general way. Adults can purchase, possess, and give away up to 2.5 ounces cannabis. The law allows adults to grow up 12 plants as long as the plants are kept in an enclosed, secure space.
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation will be responsible for the administration of the program. This includes developing a licensing process for marijuana businesses.
The Bill (HB 3562) proposes a tax of 10 percent on cannabis products. Revenues would be distributed to local municipalities that operate marijuana businesses (10%), counties in which these businesses are located (10%), a “cannabis quality control and testing fund” (1%) and administrative costs. The remaining funds would go to a fund for public school teachers.
Localities could not ban marijuana businesses, but they could establish rules “governing hours of operation and location, the manner of conducting business, as well as number of cannabis establishments or testing facilities, cannabis growers.”
The bill does not appear to propose any specific measures to support social justice goals, including expungements and licensing priority for those from communities who have been disproportionately affected by the drug war.
The House passed a separate bill earlier this month to allow people with chronic pain to use medical marijuana instead of opioids and to replace the THC limit set by the state. This legislation was then sent to the Senate to be considered.
According to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project survey conducted in December, nearly 3 out of 4 Texas voters (72%) support decriminalizing cannabis. Over half (55%) of respondents said they support a broader legalization. Seventeen percent of respondents said that it should not be legalized at all.
The same institution conducted a more recent poll that showed a majority in Texas of voters believe that state marijuana laws should “be less strict.”
Texas legislators also filed a number of new bills recently aimed at expanding and promoting psychedelics in the state.
On the local level, activists in Texas have been successful in passing municipal cannabis reform policies. In November, voters in five Texas cities — Denton, Elgin and Harker Heights , Killeen, San Marcos , passed ballot measures decriminalizing marijuana.
However, local officials in some of these municipalities have attempted to undermine the cannabis measures that were approved by voters.
Next month, voters in San Antonio will decide whether to decriminalize cannabis.
Minnesota House approves marijuana legalization bill, while Senate version is set for final committee vote
Photo by Philip Steffan.
The post Texas House Approves Marijuana Bill Decriminalization, Setting it Up for Final Passage in the Chamber first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
