cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Bills Get Day In Texas Legislature
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Marijuana Bills Get Day In Texas Legislature
Posted by CN Staff on April 09, 2015 at 08:10:08 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Austin -- For now, legalizing marijuana remains out of the question in Texas. But decriminalizing it? That’s also unlikely this year in tough-on-crime Texas, which is among 22 states that prohibit both medicinal and recreational marijuana use. Bills that would relax criminal penalties in Texas for pot were relegated to a late-night hearing Wednesday with time running down in the legislative session.Supporters still packed a Criminal Jurisprudence Committee meeting for what might have been marijuana’s only moment this session, since no other hearings have been scheduled. Aside from Republican opposition, law enforcement groups in Texas also still see changes as a threat to public safety.
Here’s what to know about the efforts to tweak — or outright repeal — marijuana laws in Texas:WHAT ARE THE PROPOSALS?Three Democrats offered bills that would reduce possession of small amount of marijuana to a low-level misdemeanor or a $100 ticket. Rep. Harold Dutton, a Houston attorney who has tried relaxing Texas pot laws for a decade, said “the rest of this country is moving in this direction.”But the boldest bill is from a Republican: David Simpson, a libertarian-leaning conservative, filed the only proposal that would legalize marijuana. Simpson quoted from the Bible while making a religious case for letting people use pot.“God, I believe through scripture, condemns excessive use,” Simpson said. “But he doesn’t ban the substance.”WHAT ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA?None of the bills discussed Wednesday focused on marijuana for medicinal use, but one family sobbed while testifying about how Texas’ tough stance has denied help to their young son with a seizure disorder.A handful of medical marijuana bills have been referred to a House public health committee but have not been scheduled for hearings. The 140-day session ends June 1.WHAT ARE OTHER CONSERVATIVE STATES DOING?Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana are among a number of southern and strongly Republican states like Texas without leniency on pot laws. The closest state to Texas with looser laws is New Mexico, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2007.WHERE DOES THE GOVERNOR STAND?Abbott has said he doesn’t see decriminalization happening this year, and lighter pot laws seem unlikely on his watch. But views can change. Former Gov. Rick Perry signaled he was coming around to decriminalization during his final year in office, telling late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in one interview, “You don’t want to ruin a kid’s life for having a joint.”Source: Associated Press (Wire) Published: April 9, 2015Copyright: 2015 The Associated PressCannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #20 posted by observer on April 10, 2015 at 16:24:04 PT
Wiretapping Police-State Elephant in the Room
re: "In my opinion, the greatest opposition to marijuana law reform is the unwillingness of our supporters to pick up the phone and make a five minute phone call."Let's cut to the chase here. People are paranoid because of police state bleep (like expansive wiretaps) they intuitively feel, and explicitly get their noses rubbed in - as with the Snowden fallout. Lot's of folks (especially in Texas) fear that a five-minute call to their congresscritter advocating the legalization of marijuana would be a quick ticket to an IRS audit, a trash-cover followed by a raid, and an eternal Black Mark in one's Permanent Record (police state dossier), that will cause one to "just happen" to get pulled over and searched, all the more. That's what people are thinking, and I've heard variations of the above cited as reasons for not sticking one's neck out, for decades. Any not by wild-eyed crazy people, but rather by quite reasonable, sane people of all types. And as we learn from Snowden et al., those are quite reasonable concerns.But that minor detail aside, sure. And America seems to be getting past the tipping point, and so getting past even what I mention above. Hallelujah ! 
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on April 10, 2015 at 14:32:21 PT
I absolutely love this picture of President Obama
in Bob Marley's house/museum.I love it.He doesn't look all critical and condemning like a prohibitionist would look while he was looking around there. No disdain. No hatred. No arrogance. He looks happy and like he's thinking something wonderful.I love to imagine what he could be thinking.Obama in Jamaica pays tribute to Bob Marleywww.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-32229579
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Comment #18 posted by The GCW on April 09, 2015 at 22:22:57 PT
More insight
Is the President Discovering the Political Benefits of Cannabis?http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-08/is-the-president-discovering-the-political-benefits-of-cannabis-
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 20:17:33 PT
From the article in the Texas Observer.
"With other sheriff's associations across Texas echoing similar sentiment, one might argue that they are the greatest opposition to passing any or all of these bills. McAlister disagrees."In my opinion, the greatest opposition to marijuana law reform is the unwillingness of our supporters to pick up the phone and make a five minute phone call.""
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 20:15:00 PT
David Simpson's is the best bill.
Texas House Committee Takes Up Three Bills on Marijuana Reform. Don't Expect Much Else.http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2015/04/texas_house_committee_takes_up_three_bills_on_marijuana_reform_dont_expect_much_else.phpNothing is impossible. Simpson's beautiful bill alone is proof that nothing is impossible.
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 20:10:40 PT
Simpson bills get attention this week
www.news-journal.com/news/2015/apr/04/simpson-bills-get-attention-this-week/
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 20:09:02 PT
Simpson gets an earful at meeting
http://www.dailytribune.net/news/simpson-gets-an-earful-at-meeting/article_6d566840-d1a4-11e4-bd16-8f7da6597da8.html
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 18:12:28 PT
Grits for Breakfast
http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/Scot Henson was there. He spoke to the legislature.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 17:22:48 PT
Heartlessness, stupidity, and ungodliness abounds.
"None of the bills discussed Wednesday focused on marijuana for medicinal use, but one family sobbed while testifying about how Texas’ tough stance has denied help to their young son with a seizure disorder.A handful of medical marijuana bills have been referred to a House public health committee but have not been scheduled for hearings. The 140-day session ends June 1."Texas's tough stance has killed, maimed, and robbed so many, of so much, so needlessly, and so wrongfully. 
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 17:16:44 PT
For the love of humanity... why not?
"Abbott has said he doesn’t see decriminalization happening this year, and lighter pot laws seem unlikely on his watch. But views can change." 
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 17:00:33 PT
Thinking about standing on the border....
The known state line between Colorado and anywhere else.One foot over the line.
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on April 09, 2015 at 13:18:13 PT
News
Federal banking official to meet with Colorado pot shopshttp://www.summitdaily.com/news/15828804-113/federal-banking-official-to-meet-with-colorado-pot-shops?utm_source=swift_rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss-referrals&utm_section=Newshttp://www.thecannabist.co/2015/04/09/federal-reserve-esther-george-colorado-info-marijuana-banking-issues/32830/...The closed-door meeting in Denver Thursday afternoon...
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 12:58:22 PT
Runaway gravy train.
It's truly sad. In the case of the "War on Drugs, "The Drug War", the infamous "WoD", it's been tragic.
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 12:53:56 PT
Runaway gravy train.
It's truly sad. In the case of the "War on Drugs, "The Drug War", the infamous "WoD", it's been tragic.
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Comment #6 posted by Vincent on April 09, 2015 at 12:53:01 PT:
foolishness
So, a family says that they need Medical Marijuana, and they are ignored. So, what happens next? That family, plus others, get sick and tired of the bible-thumping LOWLIFES denying them what they need, and they...MOVE! That means no more taxes collected from those families, leading to a shrinking tax base, no more money spent in that State, leading to less profits and less business and less sales taxes collected. Of course, none of that matters to thes bible-thumping imbeciles...what matters to them is obeying their angry, little "god".Damn, but Texas stinks!
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on April 09, 2015 at 10:43:56 PT
Hope,
You're welcome. Exposing the harmful stance police unions have on this issue is important to reveal. -Get's people thinking...
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 09:48:44 PT
Stan!!!
The Amarillo Globe News! I used my five chances to read an article this month already. They lock and bar the doors... and the windows. I intended to bring to your attention some more things that Amarillo Attorney Jeff Blackburn said in his opinion piece and things he said in the same interview or article that Hawthorne was quoted in. Lord! I appreciate that man! He's wonderful. He frees unjustly imprisoned people. If that's not God's work... or just amazing good work, or just the right thing to do, speaking to sensibilities of the disbelieving among our friends... what is? Amarillo commenters are hard, completely mean old codgers. One of them accused Attorney Blackburn of foolishly trying to put himself and his fellow lawyers out of work by speaking out against these unjust drug laws. I so hate it when I see these uniforms spout how they must carry out their sworn to an icon duties. Right or wrong. Must follow orders. Don't think. Arrgh. That uniform... goose stepping. I hate to think of it but... it's there.Thank you so much for your wonderful response and keeping attention on that situation, Stan. Thank you, The Green Collar Worker!
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on April 09, 2015 at 09:25:43 PT
The Just-us system at work , or...
The wreck of the Gravy Train !Oooh , veddy scebby! Oh the fright, oh the horror! Legalization would make their budgets dry up faster than a spilt glass of tequila in the Texas sun!
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on April 09, 2015 at 08:46:30 PT
Apparently, they really do!
“You don’t want to ruin a kid’s life for having a joint.”
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on April 09, 2015 at 08:34:47 PT
Police union's real priority is not safety.
The AP mistakenly said: "law enforcement groups in Texas also still see changes as a threat to public safety."In fact, law enforcement agencies & THEIR UNIONs see changes as a threat to their JOB SECURITY. -0- US TX: PUB LTE: Police Want Cannabis ProhibitionPubdate: Sat, 4 Apr. 2015
Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)
Copyright: 2015 Amarillo Globe-News
Contact: letters amarillonet.com
Website: http://amarillonet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/13
Webpage: http://amarillo.com/opinion/letters-editor/2015-04-04/letter-police-want-cannabis-prohibition
Referred: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n190/a04.html?1113
Author: Stan White
Newshawk: The GCWPolice want cannabis prohibitionRegarding the Amarillo Globe-News article (Drug policy creates local outcry, March 29, amarillo.com) for the moment, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Daniel Hawthorne hides behind the shield, asserting, “I don’t have the authority to make judgment calls. That’s for a judge to do, not me. That’s for a jury to do.”Hawthorne’s comment is regarding cannabis (marijuana) laws, but in reality, law enforcement agencies and their unions fight to perpetuate cannabis prohibition.I remember police saying 40 years ago that they don’t make the laws — they just enforce them, and if you don’t like the laws, change them.
Now it seems a cop’s job description is to perpetuate cannabis prohibition.
A sane or moral argument to cage responsible adults who use the God-given plant cannabis doesn’t exist.Stan White
Dillon, Colo.-0-It's not about police, it's about their unions.
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