Case Study: Softening Marijuana Laws In Texas
Softening Marijuana Laws in Texas
Softening Marijuana Laws in Texas Every year hundreds and thousands of Americans are arrested for marijuana possession, and or violations. According to an article on the Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com (Wing, 2012), there are far more people arrested for marijuana possession than those arrested for violent crimes in America. It also states that societal cost dealing with the war on drugs concerning marijuana exceeds 12 billion dollars annually. Twenty states have legalized marijuana for medical use under a doctor’s recommendation and two states have legalized for recreational use. This does not mean that it is still totally legal. Under the federal government, …show more content…
marijuana is still illegal. In this same article, it states that Texas is one of the latest states to express vocal support for marijuana law reform. In an article on www.kens5.com (Fowler, 2013) On November 14 in 2012, a bill under the name HB 184 was filed by Texas Representative Harold Dutton JR. HB 184 would make marijuana a class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500, but with no possibility of jail time. Right now in Texas, possession of two ounces or less is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. An identical bill was introduced in the 2011-2012 legislature session, but this bill died in committee. The website “legiscan.com/TX/HB184” (Dutton, 2013) has the status of HB 184 as of March 12, 2013 left as pending in committee. An article on “mychronicrelief.com” ("Proposed decriminalization of," 2013) wrote; a staffer of representative Dutton’s office reported that a decision on the bill is still pending. It is a good sign that the bill is still under consideration. The biggest concern from committee members during the hearing was their fear of marijuana as a gateway drug. Nonetheless this viewpoint is a hurdle to decimalization that we must address. The sponsors of this bill are Representative Dutton, Representative Burnom, and Representative Allen. Another bill which was introduced is HB 594 which was filed by state representative Elliot Naistat, D-Austin. HB 594 says, as stated on the www.dailychronic.net (Clarke, 2013), that under this bill any person that is arrested for marijuana could enter sufficient evidence that their doctor gave them instructions that the use of marijuana could prove beneficial to whatever their illness was. And if this person who was caught did show evidence, the charges could be dropped. HB 594 also protects the physicians who recommend marijuana use to their patients. The marijuana policy project (www.mpp.org) is supporting the bill but they do say it is far from perfect. Even if HB 594 were to pass, patients would not be protected from arrest and would also have no legal way to obtain marijuana.
In an article on www.readthehorn.com (Roque, 2013), it says that HB 594 has raised concerns from its supporters and opponents on how effective it would be addressing issues with marijuana use.
Josh Schimberg is an executive director of the Texas Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform on marijuana laws, (www.norml.org) which works in order to change public opinion in order to repeal marijuana prohibition. Josh Schimberg states that the bill being proposed does not fully address the issues with marijuana laws in Texas, but it is a step in the right direction. He also goes on to say that in his personal opinion, HB 594 does not go far enough. “HB 594 does not prevent medical marijuana patients from being arrested, as it should. It does not provide legal mean of patients to get their medical marijuana.” If these bills are passed that would mean there would be fewer people being arrested and convicted for marijuana use. Schimberg also said that current marijuana laws are having a negative effect on society: “Since 1970, more than 20 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana offenses. This is a massive cost to tax payers, with the numbers well over a trillion dollars. And today, marijuana is still the most widely available, widely used illicit substance.” Schimberg continued to say, “The prohibition on marijuana, besides being based on faulty, arbitrary, and caprices evidence, has been an utter failure and resulted in the devastation of millions of …show more content…
lives. This has to stop and that is why NORML supports legalization. This bill would clear a messy path for a legal way for patients to obtain their medical marijuana. An affirmative defense is better than nothing, but forcing patients into unregulated black market under the threat of arrest to obtain there medicine is morally wrong.” In an article from www.smmercury.com (AGUILAR, 2013), Cheyenne Weldon, the director of Women’s Outreach for Texas NORML, stated “The state is still going to get some money, and it’s still going to be against the law if this passes. But on the other hand, it is going to save a large amount of money and will probably save 50, 000 people a year from having a criminal record in Texas.” Citing Texas Department of Public Safety data, the group says decriminalization alone would save the state more than $750 million a year. Advocates say that efforts to reduce restrictions on marijuana in a Republican-dominated legislature are no small cholongy, but they say the more attention paid to the matter, the more likely change will occur sooner than later. In the same article the most recent state polling suggests most Texans do not support reduced restrictions on the use of marijuana. Only 33% of voters asked in 2011 said they favored legalizing marijuana, compared to the 60 percent who did not favor the legalization according to the Texas Lyceum poll. Only 11 percent of the respondents who said they do not favor legalization said their opinions might change if legalization provided significant tax revenue. A 2011 Texas Tribune/Texas University poll showed that 41 percent of respondents favored legalizing and taxing marijuana.
I think both state and federal drug laws are out of date. Prisons are overflowing with nonviolent offenders and almost half of the United States has legalized or decriminalized clinical use of marijuana. Harsh penalties for smoking marijuana put employable Texas citizens in expensive prisons for victimless, nonviolent crimes. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, a local criminal prosecutor, offered enthusiastic support for the bill. He noticed counties were losing money hand over fist because of the numerous steps in the process booking bail and even housing offenders for weeks at a time because they cannot meet bail, and the court system is slow. On the “dailytexanonline.com” (SAN LUIS, 2013) it says that Rick Perry supports states rights to determine the legality of marijuana, but he ignores Texas citizen’s demands to fix a broken system. 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. The website (www.mmp.org) works for a sensible marijuana policy at a state level. Its grassroots and lobbying campaigns have changed laws. On the website it has a page where you can contact your Texas legislatures to support medical marijuana. There is a short and prompt pre written email that you can put your name on and send to your local officials. I think that if more people where informed about the benefits of medical marijuana and the waste of tax payers money being used to arrest and jail non violent citizens for marijuana offences they would push Texas legislature to vote yes on these bills. 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. Retrieved from “http://www.mpp.org/states/texas/ “.
From all my research I think I have come to a clear conclusion, it is that medical marijuana would help Texas citizens very much.
There was a picture that I found on my Twitter, it is split into two sections, on the left side it shows a joint and says “this simple dried herb is illegal” and on the left it has a little pill and says “ however, if a multinational drug company grinds up that herb, extracts the cannabis sativa and creates synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinaol, combines it with gelatin, glycerin, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, titanium dioxide, markets it to doctors and hospitals under the name Marinol and in the process makes a bunch of wealthy wall street investors even richer, then it’s ok”. Marijuana is a medicine and Texas should wake up and realize that they are imprisoning its citizens who need it for medical purposes. I also think positively about lessening the possession offences. People smoke weed for different reasons, and most marijuana users are harmless compared to someone who consumes alcohol or abuses hard drugs. If Texas can support the death penalty and very loose gun laws, do you think marijuana is the
problem?
References
Wing , N. (2012, 06 18). Texas democratic party platform endorses decriminalization of marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/18/texas-democratic-party-marijuana_n_1606217.html Fowler, B. (2013, 03 12). No jail time for pot? Texas lawmakers reconsider marijuana punishment. Retrieved from http://www.kens5.com/news/Bills-seeks-to-decriminalize-marijuana-197594271.html
Proposed decriminalization of marijuana – texas hb 184. (2013, 03 18). Retrieved from http://mychronicrelief.com/proposed-decriminalization-of-marijuana-texas-hb-184/
Dutton, H. (2012, 11 12). Tx hb184 | 2013-2014 | 83rd legislature. Retrieved from http://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB184
Clarke, T. H. (2013, 03 11). Texas marijuana penalty reduction bill scheduled for hearing tuesday. Retrieved from http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/16140/texas-marijuana-penalty-reduction-bill-scheduled-for-hearing-tuesday/
Roque, M. (2013, 01 27). Austin lawmaker takes another shot at marijuana legalization. Retrieved from http://www.readthehorn.com/news/73038/austin_lawmaker_renews_medical_marijuana_efforts
AGUILAR, J. (2013, 01 24). Veteran texas lawmaker backs medical marijuana. Retrieved from http://smmercury.com/2013/01/24/veteran-texas-lawmaker-backs-medical-marijuana/
SAN LUIS, N. (2013, 02 07). Texans deserve revision of drug policies. Retrieved from http://dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2013/02/07/don’t-make-cops-waste-their-time-with-weed
Abstract
The research I did was regarding two bills proposed to the Texas Senate. HB184 and HB594 are bills both having to do with softening the penalties and the proposal of medical marijuana to patients with medical conditions. I go into depth about marijuana supporters and some of the numbers that go with marijuana arrests and users.
Softening Marijuana Laws in Texas Every year hundreds and thousands of Americans are arrested for marijuana possession, and or violations. According to an article on the Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com (Wing, 2012), there are far more people arrested for marijuana possession than those arrested for violent crimes in America. It also states that societal cost dealing with the war on drugs concerning marijuana exceeds 12 billion dollars annually. Twenty states have legalized marijuana for medical use under a doctor’s recommendation and two states have legalized for recreational use. This does not mean that it is still totally legal. Under the federal government, …show more content…
marijuana is still illegal. In this same article, it states that Texas is one of the latest states to express vocal support for marijuana law reform. In an article on www.kens5.com (Fowler, 2013) On November 14 in 2012, a bill under the name HB 184 was filed by Texas Representative Harold Dutton JR. HB 184 would make marijuana a class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500, but with no possibility of jail time. Right now in Texas, possession of two ounces or less is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. An identical bill was introduced in the 2011-2012 legislature session, but this bill died in committee. The website “legiscan.com/TX/HB184” (Dutton, 2013) has the status of HB 184 as of March 12, 2013 left as pending in committee. An article on “mychronicrelief.com” ("Proposed decriminalization of," 2013) wrote; a staffer of representative Dutton’s office reported that a decision on the bill is still pending. It is a good sign that the bill is still under consideration. The biggest concern from committee members during the hearing was their fear of marijuana as a gateway drug. Nonetheless this viewpoint is a hurdle to decimalization that we must address. The sponsors of this bill are Representative Dutton, Representative Burnom, and Representative Allen. Another bill which was introduced is HB 594 which was filed by state representative Elliot Naistat, D-Austin. HB 594 says, as stated on the www.dailychronic.net (Clarke, 2013), that under this bill any person that is arrested for marijuana could enter sufficient evidence that their doctor gave them instructions that the use of marijuana could prove beneficial to whatever their illness was. And if this person who was caught did show evidence, the charges could be dropped. HB 594 also protects the physicians who recommend marijuana use to their patients. The marijuana policy project (www.mpp.org) is supporting the bill but they do say it is far from perfect. Even if HB 594 were to pass, patients would not be protected from arrest and would also have no legal way to obtain marijuana.
In an article on www.readthehorn.com (Roque, 2013), it says that HB 594 has raised concerns from its supporters and opponents on how effective it would be addressing issues with marijuana use.
Josh Schimberg is an executive director of the Texas Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform on marijuana laws, (www.norml.org) which works in order to change public opinion in order to repeal marijuana prohibition. Josh Schimberg states that the bill being proposed does not fully address the issues with marijuana laws in Texas, but it is a step in the right direction. He also goes on to say that in his personal opinion, HB 594 does not go far enough. “HB 594 does not prevent medical marijuana patients from being arrested, as it should. It does not provide legal mean of patients to get their medical marijuana.” If these bills are passed that would mean there would be fewer people being arrested and convicted for marijuana use. Schimberg also said that current marijuana laws are having a negative effect on society: “Since 1970, more than 20 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana offenses. This is a massive cost to tax payers, with the numbers well over a trillion dollars. And today, marijuana is still the most widely available, widely used illicit substance.” Schimberg continued to say, “The prohibition on marijuana, besides being based on faulty, arbitrary, and caprices evidence, has been an utter failure and resulted in the devastation of millions of …show more content…
lives. This has to stop and that is why NORML supports legalization. This bill would clear a messy path for a legal way for patients to obtain their medical marijuana. An affirmative defense is better than nothing, but forcing patients into unregulated black market under the threat of arrest to obtain there medicine is morally wrong.” In an article from www.smmercury.com (AGUILAR, 2013), Cheyenne Weldon, the director of Women’s Outreach for Texas NORML, stated “The state is still going to get some money, and it’s still going to be against the law if this passes. But on the other hand, it is going to save a large amount of money and will probably save 50, 000 people a year from having a criminal record in Texas.” Citing Texas Department of Public Safety data, the group says decriminalization alone would save the state more than $750 million a year. Advocates say that efforts to reduce restrictions on marijuana in a Republican-dominated legislature are no small cholongy, but they say the more attention paid to the matter, the more likely change will occur sooner than later. In the same article the most recent state polling suggests most Texans do not support reduced restrictions on the use of marijuana. Only 33% of voters asked in 2011 said they favored legalizing marijuana, compared to the 60 percent who did not favor the legalization according to the Texas Lyceum poll. Only 11 percent of the respondents who said they do not favor legalization said their opinions might change if legalization provided significant tax revenue. A 2011 Texas Tribune/Texas University poll showed that 41 percent of respondents favored legalizing and taxing marijuana.
I think both state and federal drug laws are out of date. Prisons are overflowing with nonviolent offenders and almost half of the United States has legalized or decriminalized clinical use of marijuana. Harsh penalties for smoking marijuana put employable Texas citizens in expensive prisons for victimless, nonviolent crimes. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, a local criminal prosecutor, offered enthusiastic support for the bill. He noticed counties were losing money hand over fist because of the numerous steps in the process booking bail and even housing offenders for weeks at a time because they cannot meet bail, and the court system is slow. On the “dailytexanonline.com” (SAN LUIS, 2013) it says that Rick Perry supports states rights to determine the legality of marijuana, but he ignores Texas citizen’s demands to fix a broken system. 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. The website (www.mmp.org) works for a sensible marijuana policy at a state level. Its grassroots and lobbying campaigns have changed laws. On the website it has a page where you can contact your Texas legislatures to support medical marijuana. There is a short and prompt pre written email that you can put your name on and send to your local officials. I think that if more people where informed about the benefits of medical marijuana and the waste of tax payers money being used to arrest and jail non violent citizens for marijuana offences they would push Texas legislature to vote yes on these bills. 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. Retrieved from “http://www.mpp.org/states/texas/ “.
From all my research I think I have come to a clear conclusion, it is that medical marijuana would help Texas citizens very much.
There was a picture that I found on my Twitter, it is split into two sections, on the left side it shows a joint and says “this simple dried herb is illegal” and on the left it has a little pill and says “ however, if a multinational drug company grinds up that herb, extracts the cannabis sativa and creates synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinaol, combines it with gelatin, glycerin, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, titanium dioxide, markets it to doctors and hospitals under the name Marinol and in the process makes a bunch of wealthy wall street investors even richer, then it’s ok”. Marijuana is a medicine and Texas should wake up and realize that they are imprisoning its citizens who need it for medical purposes. I also think positively about lessening the possession offences. People smoke weed for different reasons, and most marijuana users are harmless compared to someone who consumes alcohol or abuses hard drugs. If Texas can support the death penalty and very loose gun laws, do you think marijuana is the
problem?
References
Wing , N. (2012, 06 18). Texas democratic party platform endorses decriminalization of marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/18/texas-democratic-party-marijuana_n_1606217.html Fowler, B. (2013, 03 12). No jail time for pot? Texas lawmakers reconsider marijuana punishment. Retrieved from http://www.kens5.com/news/Bills-seeks-to-decriminalize-marijuana-197594271.html
Proposed decriminalization of marijuana – texas hb 184. (2013, 03 18). Retrieved from http://mychronicrelief.com/proposed-decriminalization-of-marijuana-texas-hb-184/
Dutton, H. (2012, 11 12). Tx hb184 | 2013-2014 | 83rd legislature. Retrieved from http://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB184
Clarke, T. H. (2013, 03 11). Texas marijuana penalty reduction bill scheduled for hearing tuesday. Retrieved from http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/16140/texas-marijuana-penalty-reduction-bill-scheduled-for-hearing-tuesday/
Roque, M. (2013, 01 27). Austin lawmaker takes another shot at marijuana legalization. Retrieved from http://www.readthehorn.com/news/73038/austin_lawmaker_renews_medical_marijuana_efforts
AGUILAR, J. (2013, 01 24). Veteran texas lawmaker backs medical marijuana. Retrieved from http://smmercury.com/2013/01/24/veteran-texas-lawmaker-backs-medical-marijuana/
SAN LUIS, N. (2013, 02 07). Texans deserve revision of drug policies. Retrieved from http://dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2013/02/07/don’t-make-cops-waste-their-time-with-weed
Abstract
The research I did was regarding two bills proposed to the Texas Senate. HB184 and HB594 are bills both having to do with softening the penalties and the proposal of medical marijuana to patients with medical conditions. I go into depth about marijuana supporters and some of the numbers that go with marijuana arrests and users.