Will Texas Move in Favor of Legalization of Cannabis? – The Egalitarian
3 min readOn April 29, 2021, the Texas Tribune tells us how the Texas House is passing a bill to expand the use of medicinal cannabis for people with PTSD, chronic pain, and even cancer patients to regain their appetite. The House Bill 1535 of Rep. Stephanie Klick of Fort Worth was introduced in 2015 to legalize CBD. Their main focus is taking opioids away from patients and giving them something more natural. It is now pushing for THC to be empowered to segregate cannabis’ medicinal uses, and is giving the Department of State Health Services the opportunity to add additional qualification requirements through administrative regulation. This should be an easy go for those who need access to the drug and are now waiting for legislation to give approval. However, the Senate must pass the law before it can be converted into law. All of this information can be found on The Texas Tribune
Klick is one of many lawmakers advocating medical cannabis use. While it covers the need for doctors to have more control over the dosages for their patients and the amounts that should be distributed per case, lawmakers also need to consider the penalties imposed for previous convictions for wearing the substance. Heather Fazio, Texans director of marijuana policy, says raising the THC limit is a step in the right direction. The House passed Law 2593 on April 27, 2021 to drop some penalties for marijuana concentrate. This lowers the penalty for possession of up to 2 ounces of THC on a Class B offense. One ounce or less is equivalent to a $ 500 fine.
Texas has by far the most restrictive laws in the nation when it comes to legalizing cannabis. It remains 1 in 13 states that completely restrict the cannabis product. 17 states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes while 37 have legalized others for recreational purposes. More recently, New York and Virginia have legalized THC (another form of cannabis that causes a euphoric high) for recreational purposes. Currently, only 3,500 Texans are registered for medicinal cannabis use. A shocking number compared to the 2 million registered people.
Cannabis users also have a legal alternative to THC-related products called CBD. The acronym stands for cannabidiol, the second most active ingredient in cannabis. CBD is also the essential ingredient in medical marijuana. The strand comes from a hemp plant and offers a range of health benefits without harming users. When THC becomes legal, there will be plenty of income available to fund projects such as infrastructure, education, and public support for families. This is also a win for CBD shopkeepers to make new customers aware of the benefits while nurturing existing customers. Outside of the shopkeepers, can you imagine the other job openings and financial flow that will end up in Texas? “In my personal opinion, the scale of independent business will increase. This will be ten times the number of companies, “says Salazar in” The Report “for San Antonio. At this point in time, the majority of lawmakers are in favor of legalizing marijuana for tax purposes only. Establishing this business in the state can give them a tax break for the 2020 problems of lost sales and Cares Act funding that went to those in need. In summary, it can be said that there is a higher number of votes in the Senate from 49% in 2014 to 60% this year in 2021. This does not mean that we are all for it and that the journey will continue before legalization is completed.