The 5-Second Trick For Ohio pot legalization group falls short on signatures - News

"A guv's race that's prominent like the one that is coming up, where it could be Beto O'Rourke versus Greg Abbott, that's the very best opportunity to press these populist wedge concerns." However Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project at UT-Austin, said cannabis legalization isn't a "awfully essential concern" for voters on its own.

Advocates for legalization connect the problem to racial justice. In his 2011 book, O'Rourke connected the drug's prohibition in the early 20th century to racist worries of Mexican immigrants. Advocates today highlight the racial disparities in existing law's enforcement.  Go Here For the Details  are 2. 6 times more likely than white Texans to be arrested for marijuana ownership, according to an April 2020 ACLU report.

Getting The Marijuana - US News To Work

State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, who functioned as political director on O'Rourke's 2018 campaign, said the tide is switching on policies relating to marijuana enforcement. For instance, Home Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, co-authored the 2019 expense that would have minimized penalties for possession prior to Patrick eliminated it. "A Gov.

However ultimately, to get something to the governor's desk, you've got to get it through the Senate," Moody stated. "Our focus has to be on changing hearts and minds in the Senate." Moody would understand something about changing opinions. Now one of the Legislature's biggest proponents of decreasing charges for marjiuana charges, he said he disagreed with O'Rourke's position on marijuana a decade ago.

Rumored Buzz on NORML - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws Since 1970

But he said he's considering that grown "far more comfortable" with the concept that legalization is "a significant piece of the puzzle." O'Rourke was "ahead of the curve" on marijuana legalization, Moody stated, a quality he added the general public needs to look for from their leaders. For Moody, El Paso which became the very first U.S.

Federal marijuana legislation clears House of Commons, headed for the  Senate - CBC News

"If you're going to right the incorrect, if you think this is a scourge on our system, and it began here, then let's let it end here. Let's blaze a trail to end it," Moody stated. "That certainly is something that weighs greatly on my mind and on my shoulders when I work on this policy, and I envision it's the exact same for [O'Rourke]" Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has actually been a monetary advocate of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan wire service that is funded in part by contributions from members, foundations and business sponsors.

Lamont proposes marijuana legalization bill, but some New Haveners voice  concerns - Yale Daily News

The Buzz on Marijuana Moment - All your cannabis news, in one place

Discover a complete list of them here.