Texas Republican Party Endorses Marijuana, Medical Cannabis, Industrial Hemp Decriminalization

Wonders never cease! Delegates at the Republican Party of Texas convention voted their approval on Saturday for platforms endorsing “marijuana decriminalization, medical cannabis and industrial hemp.” Not only that, but the Party delegates are actually calling for a change in cannabis’s Schedule classification by the federal government. Forbes reported on Sunday:

“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.

Throughout all the changes in the American perception of marijuana, President Trump has vacillated from complete silence, to hinting at the death penalty for drug dealers, to most recently hinting he may support eliminating federal pot laws. In a way, Trump’s varying responses reflect the chaotic swirl of trying to get a dinosaur government to allow people to peacefully treat their pain – recreationally or not – with a plant without fear of being locked up in a cage in the senseless war on drugs. (Source)

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