Texas push to decriminalize pot falters despite GOP support

By CLARICE SILBER
April 30, 2019

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ tough stance on marijuana as pot in the U.S. becomes increasingly legal has grounded a bipartisan push in the state to decriminalize minor offenses — a change the Texas GOP platform has come around to endorsing, but not Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

It all but ensures that Texas will remain in the company of more than a dozen states where possessing any amount of pot can result in a criminal record. A Democrat leading the decriminalization effort said political realities in the Texas Capitol forced him to weaken his bill ahead of a key House vote.

The chamber passed the measure on a 98-43 vote on Monday, drawing support from both sides of the aisle.

The revised measure would reduce penalties for those with an ounce or less of marijuana to a Class C misdemeanor — eliminating arrests, but still making possession a crime.

The failure of the bill’s original language underscores how politically resistant Texas’ GOP leaders are to relaxing marijuana laws, even a year after voters in neighboring Oklahoma fully legalized medical marijuana.

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