What a time to be alive in the Lone Star State! As someone who has lived through the hardest hitting days of the War on Drugs, it is surreal to watch the walls of marijuana prohibition crumble around us. What started in El Paso, Texas in 1915 (yes, over a century ago) is slowly unraveling before our very eyes.
Embedded in this national cannabis paradigm shift is the ever emerging culture associated with the infamous “marijuana” plant. What had been an underground society of users is transitioning into a burgeoning melting pot of local activists, industry professionals and social enthusiasts alike. Texas is no exception.
One can simply look around and see the popularity of cannabis in the state. There is definitely proof at the legislative level. A record number of legislative bills were authored in the 86th Texas Legislature, four of which passed the House with a supermajority vote. Two of those became law: HB 1325 and HB 3703. The first legalized industrial hemp, the latter added a few more qualifying conditions to the Texas Compassionate Use Program.
If you haven’t noticed, CBD stores and suppliers have found a foothold in just about every town in Texas. Hundreds of dispensary-styled establishments litter the state, full of the most popular cannabinoid at the moment. Many are ethically promoting education and cultivating personal relationships.
There is no shortage of events either. What has traditionally been held by activist organizations like NORML, many new organizations and industry players are jumping into the scene. Just this past weekend, there was a cannabis education event in Lufkin by a producer of Cannabis Heals Me Podcast, Texas’ first hemp supply chain event by Texas Cannabis Business Alliance in The Colony, and a hemp discussion at Star Mountain in El Paso by Phoenix LLC.
Let’s not forget a record number of Texans support changing marijuana laws. In an Emerson College poll released this past April, Only 14 percent of people said marijuana should remain illegal in Texas.
This is especially true at the local level in wake of the passage of the new Texas hemp law. A poll conducted by the San Marco’s Daily Record found majority of poll voters think that Hays County should stop accepting low-level marijuana cases after legalizing hemp, because it would help reduce inmate outsourcing and a clogged court system.
We’re not done growing yet either. Many more events are scheduled soon like the 2nd Annual Texas Marijuana Policy Conference in Austin Labor Day Weekend or the Whole Plant Access Rally on Crystal Beach.
So despite what you hear about whether some municipalities are or aren’t prosecuting low level marijuana cases, rest assured the change has already come to Texas. It’s not going anywhere. Cannabis is here to stay.
