{"id":3432,"date":"2021-12-27T17:14:53","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T17:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMiemh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm1hcmlqdWFuYW1vbWVudC5uZXQvaW5kaWFuYS1nb3AtbGF3bWFrZXItdG8tZmlsZS1tYXJpanVhbmEtbGVnYWxpemF0aW9uLWJpbGwtYXMtZGVtb2NyYXRzLXN0ZXAtdXAtcmVmb3JtLXB1c2gv0gEA"},"modified":"2021-12-27T17:14:53","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T17:14:53","slug":"indiana-gop-lawmaker-to-file-marijuana-legalization-bill-as-democrats-step-up-reform-push-marijuana-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3432","title":{"rendered":"Indiana GOP Lawmaker To File Marijuana Legalization Bill As Democrats Step Up Reform Push – Marijuana Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

While the legislature has been hesitant to embrace cannabis reform, advocates hope O\u2019Rourke\u2019s attention to the issue will give it a political boost.<\/em><\/p>\n

By James Pollard<\/a>, The Texas Tribune<\/strong><\/p>\n

At a crowded rally in downtown Austin, Beto O\u2019Rourke<\/a> ticked off his usual laundry list of campaign promises: stabilizing the power grid, rolling back the state\u2019s new permitless carry law and expanding health care access.<\/p>\n

But the El Paso Democrat got some of the loudest cheers of the night when he promised to legalize marijuana in Texas, something he said \u201cmost of us, regardless of party, actually agree on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been warned that this may or may not be a popular thing to say in Austin, Texas,\u201d O\u2019Rourke said to the crowd gathered in Republic Square Park in December. \u201cBut when I am governor, we are going to legalize marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support is nothing new for the gubernatorial candidate. O\u2019Rourke has championed legalization efforts throughout his political career, ever since his time as a member of the El Paso city council. He also nodded at the policy throughout his failed campaigns for U.S. Senate and for president.<\/p>\n

But in his early run for governor, O\u2019Rourke, who declined to be interviewed for this story, has repeatedly mentioned legalizing marijuana on the campaign trail across Texas. Advocates hope the increased attention will give momentum to legalization efforts in a state with some of the harshest penalties and highest arrest rates for marijuana possession.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Rourke\u2019s advocacy around the issue dates back at least to his time on the El Paso City Council in 2009 when he pushed for a resolution calling on Congress to have \u201can honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition\u201d of marijuana.<\/p>\n

Despite unanimously passing the city council, then-Mayor John Cook vetoed the nonbinding measure. Cook got some help from then-U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, who warned council members the city could lose federal funds if they continued with their effort.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Rourke went on to challenge and defeat Reyes in the 2012 Democratic primary for his congressional seat. During that race, Reyes released an ad attacking O\u2019Rourke\u2019s position<\/a> on marijuana legalization.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegalizing drugs is not the answer. Even our children understand that,\u201d a narrator said in a video campaign ad that showed children shaking their heads. \u201cSay NO to Drugs. Say NO to Beto.\u201d<\/p>\n

While O\u2019Rourke did not campaign on the policy throughout that race, advocates at the time pointed to his victory as a sign of the changing attitudes around marijuana legalization.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Rourke\u2019s viewpoint is influenced by his hometown of El Paso, which he writes about extensively in his 2011 book \u201cDealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico,\u201d co-written with fellow City Council member Susie Byrd.<\/p>\n

For 15 years before 2008, there was an average of 236 murders per year in Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez, the sister city of El Paso, O\u2019Rourke wrote. That number rose to 316 in 2007 before skyrocketing to 1,623 in 2008. There was a \u201cpernicious influence,\u201d O\u2019Rourke wrote: the \u201cmultibillion dollar hemispheric vice between supply and demand,\u201d where \u201cNorth America consumes illegal drugs\u201d and \u201cMexico supplies them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book draws a correlation between government crackdowns on the illicit trade and the number of murders. By regulating, controlling and taxing the marijuana market, O\u2019Rourke and Byrd posit the U.S. could save lives. The authors call for restricting sales to adults, providing licenses to help regulate, limiting smoking to nonpublic spaces and prohibiting advertisers from appealing to children.<\/p>\n

Once in Congress, O\u2019Rourke continued efforts to roll back federal marijuana regulations<\/a>\u2014to no avail.<\/p>\n

In 2017, he introduced<\/a> a bill repealing a rule that prevented federal funds from going to states that don\u2019t enforce a law revoking or suspending drivers\u2019 licenses over drug offense convictions. He supported several<\/a> failed<\/a> attempts<\/a> to protect states who had legalized the drug from federal incursion. O\u2019Rourke sought to compel courts to seal records<\/a> for nonviolent offenses involving marijuana. He co-sponsored a bill<\/a> that would allow students convicted of marijuana possession to maintain their eligibility for federal aid. He also supported various measures to increase<\/a> research<\/a> into and expand<\/a> the<\/a> availability<\/a> of medical cannabis, particularly<\/a> for<\/a> veterans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

None of those bills became law.<\/p>\n

If O\u2019Rourke becomes governor, his plans to legalize marijuana would face another set of hurdles in the form of the Texas Legislature, particularly Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick<\/a>, who leads the state Senate.<\/p>\n

After the House in April 2019 gave preliminary approval to a bill that would have reduced criminal penalties<\/a> for Texans possessing small amounts of marijuana, Patrick declared the measure dead in the Senate.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been some momentum for more progressive marijuana policies within Patrick\u2019s party in recent sessions. In 2019, state Rep. Stephanie Klick<\/a>, R-Fort Worth, and state Sen. Donna Campbell<\/a>, R-New Braunfels, filed bills that would relax laws restricting medical cannabis access. Both of those reforms failed to become law. But Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a> in May did sign a watered-down expansion of Texas\u2019 medical marijuana program<\/a> to include people with cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n

Patrick did not comment for this story. In a previous statement<\/a> to The Texas Tribune, a Patrick spokesperson said the lieutenant governor is \u201cstrongly opposed to weakening any laws against marijuana [and] remains wary of the various medicinal use proposals that could become a vehicle for expanding access to this drug.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbott didn\u2019t answer questions on his position regarding marijuana legalization.<\/p>\n

Legalization advocates hope O\u2019Rourke\u2019s candidacy can move opinions among state leaders on relaxing marijuana restrictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully with Beto O\u2019Rourke presumably being the Democratic nominee, we can push the other candidates in the race to talk about this issue more, to come to the table and have a conversation about how these policies are having negative impacts on our state,\u201d said Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy.<\/p>\n

Marijuana legalization draws some broad support across the state. According to a June 2021 University of Texas\/Texas Tribune Poll<\/a>, 60 percent of Texas voters say at least a small amount of marijuana should be legal. That figure includes 73 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of independents and 43 percent of Republicans.<\/p>\n

Mike Siegel, the co-founder of Ground Game Texas, a nonprofit focused on supporting progressive policies around \u201cworkers, wages, and weed,\u201d said the issue is an opportunity for O\u2019Rourke to reach independent or nonaligned voters.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Marijuana policy] is a major opportunity for [O\u2019Rourke] to reach out to middle of the road, independent or nonaligned voters and even some Republican voters,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cA governor\u2019s race that\u2019s high-profile like the one that is coming up, where it could be Beto O\u2019Rourke versus Greg Abbott, that\u2019s the best opportunity to push these populist wedge issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project at UT-Austin, said marijuana legalization isn\u2019t a \u201cterribly important issue\u201d for voters on its own. Its political salience depends on the issues tied to the policy, he said, whether that is the economy, criminal justice system or health care.<\/p>\n

Advocates for legalization tie the issue to racial justice. In his 2011 book, O\u2019Rourke linked the drug\u2019s prohibition in the early 20th century to racist fears of Mexican immigrants. Advocates today highlight the racial disparities in existing law\u2019s enforcement. Black Texans are 2.6 times more likely than white Texans to be arrested for marijuana possession, according to an April 2020 ACLU report<\/a>. In 2018, Texas had the highest total number of marijuana possession arrests in the country, according to the report, which found the state ranks 41st for largest racial disparities in such arrests.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Joe Moody<\/a>, D-El Paso, who served as political director on O\u2019Rourke\u2019s 2018 campaign, said the tide is turning on policies relating to cannabis enforcement. For example, House Speaker Dade Phelan<\/a>, R-Beaumont, co-authored the 2019 bill<\/a> that would have reduced penalties for possession<\/a> before Patrick killed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Gov. O\u2019Rourke would certainly turn that tide a lot quicker because of his position on these issues. But ultimately, to get something to the governor\u2019s desk, you\u2019ve got to get it through the Senate,\u201d Moody said. \u201cOur focus has to be on changing hearts and minds in the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moody would know something about changing opinions. Now one of the Legislature\u2019s biggest proponents of reducing penalties for marijuana charges, he said he disagreed with O\u2019Rourke\u2019s position on marijuana a decade ago. Overhauling American drug policy wasn\u2019t going to \u201cflip the switch on violence,\u201d he said of his feelings at the time. But he said he\u2019s since grown \u201cmuch more comfortable\u201d with the idea that legalization is \u201ca major piece of the puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Rourke was \u201cahead of the curve\u201d on marijuana legalization, Moody said, a quality he added the public should seek from their leaders.<\/p>\n

For Moody, El Paso\u2014which became the first U.S. city to outlaw marijuana<\/a> usage in 1915\u2014is the place to lead that charge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to right the wrong, if you think this is a scourge on our system, and it began here, then let\u2019s let it end here. Let\u2019s lead the way to end it,\u201d Moody said. \u201cThat certainly is something that weighs heavily on my mind and on my shoulders when I work on this policy, and I imagine it\u2019s the same for [O\u2019Rourke].\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. <\/em><\/p>\n

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete list of them here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Hundreds Of New York Municipalities Will Allow Marijuana Businesses As Opt-Out Deadline Passes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.<\/p>\n

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While the legislature has been hesitant to embrace cannabis reform, advocates hope O\u2019Rourke\u2019s attention to the issue will give it a political boost. By James Pollard, The Texas Tribune At a crowded rally in downtown Austin, Beto O\u2019Rourke ticked off his usual laundry list of campaign promises: stabilizing the power grid, rolling back the state\u2019s new permitless carry law and expanding health care access. But the El Paso Democrat got some of the loudest cheers of the night when he promised to legalize marijuana in Texas, something he said \u201cmost of us, regardless of party, actually agree on.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve been… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/indiana-gop-lawmaker-to-file-marijuana-legalization-bill-as-democrats-step-up-reform-push-marijuana-moment.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}