Posted on 06/17/2018 10:35:45 AM PDT by Mariner
Delegates at the Republican Party of Texas convention on Saturday voted to approve platform planks endorsing marijuana decriminalization, medical cannabis and industrial hemp. They are also calling for a change in cannabis's classification by the federal government.
"We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time," reads one of the party's new positions.
"Congress should remove cannabis from the list of Schedule 1," says another.
A third asks lawmakers to expand an existing state law that provides patients with limited access to low-THC medical cannabis extracts so that doctors can "determine the appropriate use of cannabis to certified patients."
And a fourth says industrial hemp is a "a valuable agricultural commodity."
That the official GOP organ in a red state like Texas would voice support for such far-reaching cannabis reforms is the latest sign of how mainstream marijuana has become in American politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
“Soon, we will be like Colorado.”
When I arrived in CO in 1976 there were many “Don’t Californicate Colorado” bumper stickers, and that was in Boulder.
I don’t think it’s accurate to blame the devastation wrought by the left on pot laws.
Besides, Colorado did not legalize pot. They went straight to strict regulation, of the sort that an industry usually takes decades to accrue, and that is keeping the black market alive.
Never believed I’d ever see the day that tobacco is more restricted than grass. The future will see young people burning out, starting with the gateway drug and moving on to bigger and better (more dangerous drugs).
Texas Republicans know that the people of Texas are responsible and do not need the Nanny State telling them what not to do.
“The future will see young people burning out, starting with the gateway drug and moving on to bigger and better (more dangerous drugs).”
I agree.
Budweiser is a sinister, creeping gateway drug. Hell, they even market it to teens now days.
Kind of hard to get worked up about this anymore. They can legalize it, and I still won’t use it.
Maybe if the left is stoned out of their minds all the time they won’t be as motivated to steal what remains of our rights. Then we’ll just be paying their public assistance, like we always have.
There are plenty of folks on the right who use cannabis.
How will the New York Times spin this? "Drug-sniffing dog trainers struggle to find employment"
You’re living under a rock dude.
I can think of countless things that are perfectly legal that I choose not to use.
1) You’re still not seeing a day where tobacco is more restricted than marijuana.
2) The “gateway drug” theory has been proven to be false.
3) This ridiculous prohibition also keep industrial hemp from being grown. This is a useful raw material and would give American farmers (many of who are struggling) an easy-to-grow cash crop to add to their rotation. Even though this kind of plant is no good for smoking, it’s still illegal to grow.
I used to be middle of the road on this, but the experience of Colorado is basically proving that those who are against legalization were correct.
“This ridiculous prohibition also keep industrial hemp from being grown.”
Hemp is a bit of a miracle crop.
It produces 10x the amount of paper, per year, as an acre of trees. And high quality paper at that.
Saving 10’s of millions of trees for better use than wiping one’s backside.
It’s also a competitor to cotton, and produces a very healthy Omega 3/6/9 fatty acids.
It’s also the source of CBD oil which has proven to help many with various and sundry afflictions like epilepsy, arthritis, insomnia etc.
Not sure where you stand on this KC.. but I don’t agree with legalizing it.. MANY FReepers will disagree here.. but, this is one law that should remain..
Are you in Colorado?
I’m in CA and I see no change whatsoever.
Homeless drunks and junkies everywhere.
But they definitely cannot afford pot. That’s a drug for the elite with money.
Good-I haven’t had a toke in many years-don’t plan to now, either-but the less Nanny crap the better-glad our Texas repubs are seeing that adults are responsible for what they choose to drink/smoke/whatever-not some Nanny state-maybe this will take a jab at the mafia/trafficantes, although they deal mostly in smuggling in cocaine and meth...
Those personalities were caricatures, greatly exaggerated for comic effect.
**********
Cheech and Chong are very much like Willie Nelson ,, entertainers and businessmen ... I for one will welcome the reduced violence when the drug cartels lose the income from this most lucrative product.
You think there’s a War on Drugs now, just wait until the government starts taxing it.
It is about freaking time.
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