Pot in Texas

Twenty bills to loosen laws filed as Legislature prepares to meet

Will Texas soon join Arkansas, Oklahoma and several other states in legalizing marijuana for medical or even recreational purposes?

Well, if some state lawmakers have their way, it could happen.

The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday that 20 bills ranging from decriminalization to full-blown legal recreational use have already been filed before the Legislature convenes in less than a month.

Among the proposals, State Rep. Erin Zwiener, a Democrat from District 45, filed a bill to make personal pot possession a civil penalty rather than a criminal misdemeanor.

San Antonio Democrat state Sen. José Menéndez hope to expand the current Compassionate Use Act, which allows CBD oil under 0.5 THC for some conditions such as epilepsy, ALS and terminal cancer. His bill would add post-traumatic stress and other conditions to the list.

Those proposals have a chance, but a couple of other legislators want to go all the way and legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces and also personal cultivation of up to a dozen marijuana plants.

Somehow we don’t see that one happening. It wasn’t all that long ago that possession of more than an ounce of marijuana could land you in a Texas prison for life. Now it looks like the laws will be loosened bit by bit, session by session. We doubt full legalization of medical and/or recreational cannabis is coming soon, but don’t be surprised when it finally does.