Texas could reduce marijuana penalties in 2013
Despite its reputation as a libertarian state with an emphasis on personal freedom and limited government, too few Texas legislators have been willing to endorse those principles when it comes to marijuana policy reform. In 2011, Rep. Harold Dutton, Jr. authored legislation that would have reduced the penalty for possessing one ounce or less of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,000) to a Class C misdemeanor (punishable by a fine of up to $500). That bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Dutton has already announced he’ll be back with the same bill — HB 184 — in 2013. Please ask your legislators to support this sensible reform.
In addition, Rep. Eliot Naishtat has reintroduced legislation that would give patients with serious illnesses an “affirmative defense” against charges of possessing small amounts of marijuana. His bill, HB 594, would not give patients protection from arrest, but it would allow them to demonstrate to a judge that their use was medical in nature and escape a criminal conviction. You can also email your legislators and ask them to support this compassionate bill.
Subscribe to our free email alerts to stay up to date on the status of these bills, and if you are a current or former law enforcement official, patient, medical professional, or clergy member, please email us to hear how you can get involved.
Learn more about Texas’s marijuana laws
Did you know that an amazing 97% of all marijuana arrests in Texas during 2007 were for simple possession? That’s 68,758 people arrested just for possessing a substance that is safer than alcohol. You can also learn more about Texas’s marijuana laws by reading this report from economist Jon Gettman, Ph.D.
Something else you might not know is that the Texas Democratic Party actually made the decriminalization of marijuana part of its official platform this year. Click here to read more about that and to ask your state legislators to support such a measure.
