A Texas House panel voted 5-2 to advance SB 21
Texas House Panel Votes to Legalize Recreational Cannabis Three Democrats and two Republicans in the majority. The law would legalize recreational marijuana in the Lone Star State and decrease punishments for those already arrested for use or possession.
Getting the law out of committee is still far from the legislative victory that will change the law. To actually win legalization, the bill now must receive a majority vote in the full House, and Senate, and be signed by the governor.
One thing this does prove is that cannabis legalization is now a bipartisan issue. The bill was authored and sponsored by David Simpson, one of the most conservative Tea Party politicians in Texas. Rep. Simpson stated that he supports the law because of his “Christian values” and belief in personal liberty.
As vitriolic and crass as American politics has been lately, it is great to see reasonable common sense bridging the wide isle between political parties.
