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Marijuana reform is back on the minds of Texas lawmakers
Smoking marijuana is illegal in Texas, but could that change?
AUSTIN, Texas - Smoking Marijuana is illegal in Texas, but could that change? Nine new bills were introduced Monday ahead of the January 2021 legislative session.
"This may be the first time in the Texas Senate, that a bill has been introduced to repeal prohibition entirely," said Heather Fazio, Director at Texan For Responsible Marijuana Policy.
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Currently, a small strain of THC is legal with a doctor's note, but only for patients suffering from extreme medical conditions, like Alzheimer's and Cancer. The law limits customers and business practices for business owners like Morris Denton, CEO of Compassionate Cultivation in Austin.
"Because this is a schedule 1 substance, we can't use any form of transportation services to deliver our medicine to patients," Denton told FOX 7 Austin. "It's frustrating."
A possible solution could be on the horizon if Democratic State Senator Jose Menendez gets SB-90 bill passed. Menendez pre-filed a bill Monday that would legally allow more Texans to get medical cannabis prescriptions.
"Why is this the one medical therapy where legislators feel they should be telling Doctors how to practice medicine?" Menendez asked. If his bill passes, patients with any condition their Doctor deems necessary could get a prescription. He hopes Governor Abbott will sign any (or all) of the nine pills pre-filed Monday.
And Texans may support him. A new study released Monday from the Pew Research Center indicates 68% of Americans are ready to legalize marijuana.
Texas could also see an economic boom since legal marijuana would be taxable. Another recent study published in October shows the state would get nearly $2.7 billion dollars a year in cannabis sales.
If any of the bills pass, they would become law in September of 2021. For a list of all nine bills pre-filed, click here.
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