Posted on 05/08/2015 7:54:52 AM PDT by GIdget2004
In a surprise move that supporters hailed as a historic victory, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would make it legal to buy and sell marijuana in the state.
Two Republicans joined with the panel's three Democrats in support, giving House Bill 2165 a decisive 5-2 victory.
The proposal, which would make Texas the fifth state in America to OK pot for recreational purposes, has virtually no chance of clearing any other hurdles on the path to becoming law in this year's legislative session.
Still, advocates described the committee vote as a big step toward future success.
"Marijuana policy reform continues to make unprecedented progress this session," Phillip Martin of the liberal group Progress Texas tweeted just after the vote....
Simpson, a deeply conservative member supported by the tea party, sponsored the bill. In an opinion piece published last month, he explained that, "I don't believe that when God made marijuana he made a mistake that government needs to fix."
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
The cartels left Colorado. They cannot compete with the free market. Or those that grow their own.
How is it any worse than a country full of illegal potheads?
Yep, don’t want people to have freedom - govt must control
“Austin. They oughta fence it in, with strict controls on who can leave and when. You don’t want this kind of stuff to spread.”
The city of Austin has no power in our Texas legislature. Our capital buildings are in that city but the city has no control over our representatives/senators in that building.
“So what happens when you have millions of unemployable potheads? Who is going to pay for their welfare?”
Legalization of risky things must be accompanied by not propping up those that get screwed up by the risky things.
The problem is that they will be propped up, you're going to let them starve just because they can't find a job?
Cant have that!
Drugs are not Liberty. In fact, they are the very opposite of it.
Good. Unfortunately, it will never pass. Personally, I don’t smoke, but at the same time, I really don’t give a damn if you do.
The only time they (black market) can compete is if the taxes on something legal is too high, like NY and tobacco.
Hey congratulations.
For real. And sponsored by a Tea Party guy.
Approve this Texas. I don’t smoke, anything, but I am completely in favor of this. 100%
For legalization to increase that number substantially, there would have to be millions of people who are responsible enough to not use pot since it's now illegal - yet at the same time are irresponsible enough to smoke themselves into unemployability when it's legalized. Sounds unlikely to me.
Funny how Texas can’t get this passed, and can’t get Constitutional carry passed as well. I don’t see why gov always feels the need to meddle in people’s lives so much.
“...tax revenue is the only reason...”
Yup, for the teachers, to then try and make these stoners appear to be adequately educated and useful members of society.
There used to be a website called Christians for Cannabis.
They justified its' use from Genesis 1:29:
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
Why does pot make a person unemployable?
Liability.
“you’re going to let them starve just because they can’t find a job?”
It may get to the point where either they starve or I starve, or the needle will move to where I am very, very worried about my own future and my family’s and my country’s.
When that happens, the word “triage” comes to mind. Here’s its definition:
the process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine medical priority in order to increase the number of survivors.
That's downright snarky and presumptive. I said nothing of the kind.
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