Texas Republican Party Endorses Marijuana Decriminalization

It has a been a slow but sure change but after many years of backing prohibition the Republican Party of Texas has officially endorsed the decriminalization of cannabis, the descheduling and legalization of medical marijuana and the invigoration of the industrial hemp industry. Officials heard the new positions in testimonies last week and made the change final with a vote on Saturday. The current penalty for possessing up to 2 ounces of marijuana in Texas is a jail sentence up to 6 months and a $2,000 fine, but the new stance of the Texan Republican Party is to change it from a criminal to a civil offense to possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis and a punished with a fine of $100 with no jail time. Texas currently has a limited medical marijuana program but it's so strict that most potential patients who could benefit from it do not even qualify for the program let alone have easy access to it.

"We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time," reads one of the party's new positions.

"Under the current [medical cannabis] program, most patients are being left behind," Fazio said. "Texas conservatives are seeing the value of medical cannabis and want to see more inclusive access. Now we will take this to the Legislature for action during the 2019 legislative session."