The new version of the legislation has not yet been made public, according to Marijuana Moment. But when originally introduced, the bill was seen as an alternative to the Marijuana Opportunity and Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, a federal cannabis legalization measure supported by many Democrats. The MORE Act was refiled in September by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, with co-sponsorship from 33 fellow Democrats.
Under the original version of Mace’s bill, cannabis would be removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, and the states would be allowed to take the lead on marijuana legalization and regulation for their jurisdictions. At the federal level, cannabis would be regulated like alcohol, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for regulating growers while medical uses would be overseen by the Food and Drug Administration.
House Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Marijuana Legalization BillThe STATES Reform Act also ensures safe harbor for state medical marijuana programs and patient access to medicinal cannabis. The legislation also specifically protects the use of medical cannabis as a treatment for arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Criminal justice reform provisions of the bill include the release of prisoners convicted of federal nonviolent cannabis-related offenses and the expungement of records of such convictions. Cartel members, agents of cartel gangs, or those convicted of driving under the influence will not be eligible for relief, however. Mace’s office estimated that approximately 2,600 federal prisoners would be released if the legislation is signed into law.
And even if this somehow passes Texas will still keep it illegal.
Texas already has medicinal marijuana, and public opinion on the matter is in favor of legalization.
I think once Abbot realizes how much tax revenue he can squeeze out of it, he'll support it.
The Texas medical program is a joke though.
I think Abbott cares more about winning Evangelical votes than enriching the State; after all, the revenue isn't a secret. Colorado has had recreational for over a decade.
It really isn't. My doctor runs a clinic in a very rural area and had no problem getting set up or prescribing/filling for it.
It just requires a doctor be willing to jump through the red tape.
Not to mention that you can just buy D9 edibles in vape shops since congress changed the thc content limit.
Yeah, the loophole for THCa is really closer to recreational than the current medical system is, though admittedly I haven't looked into it in a few years.
It's still embarrassing for the State to keep it in a quasi-legal (and therefore open to disruptions based on the whims of local LE). Selective enforcement is one of the worst offenses of the War on Drugs.
Well, I think the driving factor in Texas is that it's a good excuse to throw brown people in jail.
That's exactly it.
That's OK, they will just keep going north into Oklahoma to get it.
You need a med card to get it in OK; that's exceedingly rare in TX.
The med card can be had pretty easy though. At least for now.