The Texas Legislature convened today at HIGH NOON!
The first day of every legislative session is mostly ceremonial, with three major orders of business on the agenda: Oaths of Office, Adopting Rules, and Electing a Speaker of the House. Watch live at 12pm: House Proceedings | Senate Proceedings.
Regardless of who is elected Speaker of the House, cannabis advocates are facing an uphill battle because Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has made banning THC a top priority in the Senate. Even Texas Ag. Commissioner Sid Miller, a supporter of decriminalization, expanded medical cannabis, and hemp for industrial purposes, has come out in support of Patrick’s efforts.
This movement against hemp-derived THC is rooted in fear and misinformation. The culture war and decades of government propaganda seems to be blinding many who are in positions of leadership. The reality is that only cannabis regulation can ensure public health and safety. Prohibition empowers the illicit market and eliminates all opportunity to restrict youth access and ensure consumer protection. Regulation > Prohibition
There is a better way forward and today marks the beginning of our 140-day opportunity to institute sensible cannabis policies in Texas!
During this time, lawmakers will consider thousands of bills, but only about 20% will pass into law. The process is designed to defeat legislation, not pass it. This is good when we want to stop a bad bill, but makes it challenging to pass a good bill. The process is slow at first, then fast-paced, with committees meeting day and night to sort through bills. The Speaker assigns bills to committees based on subject matter in the House and Lieutenant Governor assigns bills in the Senate.
So far, fifteen cannabis-related bills have been filed, but we expect to see at least a few more by the time we reach the filing deadline in March, which is about when committee hearings begin.
Let’s get to work! Start by contacting your state legislators to (re)introduce yourself.