Tag: Texas

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) doesn’t support legalizing marijuana or other currently illicit drugs, but he’s big mad over the prospect of the federal government advising Americans to drink less alcohol. During an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday, the senator said that federal officials “can kiss my ass” if they decide to reduce the recommended maximum consumption of alcohol to two drinks per week, as has recently been floated. “What is it with liberals and wanting to control every damn aspect… Read more.

Activists in Lubbock, Texas have launched a campaign to join the growing number of cities across the Lone Star State that have locally decriminalized marijuana. The committee behind the initiative filed paperwork for the Freedom Act Lubbock ordinance with the city secretary this week, which gives them 60 days to collect about 4,800 valid signatures, which equates to about 25 percent of registered voters who participated in the last municipal election in May. If they’re successful, the measure will first… Read more.

The largest cannabis operator in Texas is leaning into beverages after acquiring 8th Wonder Brewery. The brewery taproom located in the heart of east downtown just turned over ownership to Bayou City Hemp Company. The announcement follows a series of successful collaborations to create non-alcoholic THC beverages. The U.S. cannabis market is expected to grow to more than $86 billion by 2030, which could have a significant impact on the city of Houston. It's the first of its kind. The… Read more.

Texas House-passed bills to decriminalize marijuana, facilitate expungements and allow chronic pain patients to access medical cannabis as an opioid alternative are officially dead for the year with Senate leadership refusing to bring up the measures for consideration ahead of Monday’s end of the legislative session. Advocates had held out hope that the Senate would be more amenable to the modest reforms this session than in the past, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who presides over the chamber, continued… Read more.

With a week left in the Texas Legislature's current session, political observers said it's increasingly unlikely the state will see any progress on cannabis reform. Earlier this session, the Texas House passed a proposal to broaden the state's medical marijuana program — one of the strictest in the nation — by expanding it to include patients who would otherwise be prescribed opioids to manage pain. Additionally, the House approved a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed and set up a process for… Read more.

The Texas House of Representatives will vote on a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession and create a process for expunging cannabis conviction records next week. About a month and a half after the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee unanimously passed the legislation, the Calendars Committee has officially scheduled it for floor consideration on Wednesday, April 26. The measure from Rep. Joe Moody (D) would remove the risk of arrest or jail time for low-level possession of cannabis and allow people to eventually erase… Read more.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas last week found the federal ban on cannabis consumers possessing firearms to be unconstitutional, Marijuana Moment reports. The ruling led to dropped charges against El Paso resident Paola Connelly, who had been convicted of possessing and transferring a firearm in 2021 while being an admitted cannabis consumer. The charges were ultimately dropped after the Supreme Court ruled last year that any restrictions on firearms must honor the historical context… Read more.

The Texas House Public Health Committee on Monday heard hearings on a bill that would expand the state’s medical cannabis program, FOX 44 reports. The measure would allow access to products with THC levels as high as 5%. Under current law, patients can only access low-THC products with THC concentrations up to 1%.  The measure is, in part, meant to reign in the proliferation of hemp-derived THC products, such as delta-8, which some medical cannabis consumers are relying on because of the low THC limits in… Read more.

A majority of Texas voters say that the state’s marijuana laws should be “less strict,” according to a new survey. The University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll that was released this month asked respondents about a variety of policy issues affecting the state and how they believe certain matters should be regulated compared to the status quo. Asked about cannabis, 51 percent said that state laws should be less strict, versus 22 percent who said they should be more strict… Read more.

Adults 21 and over could possess up to 2.5 ounces of pot, including up to 15 grams of cannabis concentrates, under the bill. As Texas continues to lag behind the rest of the country in cannabis reform, a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives has introduced a bill to let the state's municipalities and counties decide whether to legalize recreational weed. House Bill 1937, filed by State Rep. Jessica González of Dallas, would enable municipalities to make the call whether to green… Read more.