Over the past few weeks, few bills in the 2019 Texas Legislative Session have been receiving as much attention statewide as House Bill 63 by El Paso Rep. Joe Moody (pictured above). The bill, which would essentially decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis and replaces those punishments with a civil fine, could result in drastic changes to the criminal justice prosecution and law enforcement procedures in The Lone Star State. With such potentially drastic changes to so many facets of the state, it’s a surprise in absolutely no conceivable way that such a politically divided state has a multitude of different viewpoints and opinions on cannabis decriminalization.
To speak in support of Texas HB 63 were a wide variety of people including veterans suffering from PTSD due to the horrors of war, legalization and criminal justice reform activists, Republican Liberty Caucus and ACLU members, medical experts, former or current judges/prosecutors and cannabis defense attorneys, countless individuals who’ve found medicinal relief through cannabis and those who’ve been convicted of low level amounts of cannabis and the negative experiences that result from such convictions.
According to Rep. Moody and Texas NORML (National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws), $730 million in taxpayer dollars would be saved by officers not arresting for low-level cannabis possession. Furthermore HB 63, which decriminalizes exactly an ounce, would eradicate the average low-level possession charge of roughly ⅓ of an ounce.
Those few and far between speaking in opposition of HB 63 were almost exclusively law enforcement officers and police chiefs from all regions of Texas, from Plano to East Texas and everywhere in between. Their concerns and opposition viewpoints revolved around public safety concerns such the negative reputation of cannabis being a “gateway drug” to heavier substances, increases in DUI’s and drugged driving as well as allowing violent convicts and gangs to have easier access to the plant.
To provide evidence to their points, the officers spoke about the many hardcore drug addicts and dangerous criminals that they’ve interacted with over their decades in law enforcement who “all admitted to starting with marijuana” and the reported uptick in traffic accidents and fatalities in states with recreationally legalized cannabis. To defend their opposition stances, a few law enforcement officials testified that officers often use “officer’s discretion” when dealing with low-level cannabis possession, yet didn’t provide specific examples.
Overall, the stance of the dozens who testified were overwhelmingly in favor of House Bill 63. Whereas the opposing law enforcement officers only spoke in generalizations and anecdotal stories that relied heavily on the “gateway drug” defense while also falsely assuming that many pro-legalization advocacy groups are “well funded”, those in favor gave riveting testimonies about how cannabis has prevented them from committing suicide, deeply personal statements about how low-level possession charges has been detrimental towards their lives and how medical consumption of cannabis has been the cure that they’ve long sought after following the failure of modern pharmaceuticals and their sometimes horrific side effects.
If this meeting is a true microcosm of Texans and the Legislature votes according to both their political affiliations and the statements of the majority of their constituents, then small possession of cannabis being decriminalized in The Lone Star State may very well come to fruition.
Featured Photo Credit: Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy