Texas Decriminalization Potential as House Passes Bill & It Moves to State Senate For Vote4/27/2023
![]() Texas’ current cannabis legalization availability is only an extremely limited medical program. However, according to December 2022 poll by the University of Texas and the Texas Politics Project, 72 percent of Texas voters say they do support decriminalizing cannabis, and 55 percent also support full legalization. This week, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill to decriminalize cannabis and create a system for expungements. That bill is now headed to the state Senate for review there. HB 218 would reclassify possession of small amounts of cannabis from a Class B to Class C misdemeanor, it would also remove any associated jail time, and lower the maximum fine from $2000 to $500. The bill would also allow people with small possession convictions the opportunity to have convictions expunged through a court process. But despite the widespread citizen support for decriminalization, the Lieutenant Governor, Republican Dan Patrick, presides over the Senate chamber, and he believes his opposing view of cannabis is more important than what the citizens want. Patrick has rejected similar decriminalization measures in 2019 and 2021. His spokesperson, Alejandro Garcia, spoke with the Texas Tribune in 2020 and said Patrick is “strongly opposed to weakening any laws against marijuana.” HB 218 is currently awaiting review by the House Calendars Committee to be scheduled for floor action. Comments are closed.
|
Proudly powered by Weebly