Bill Filed to Allow Texas Cities and Counties to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Another year, another attempt at legalizing recreational marijuana in the Lone Star State.
I’ve often said that while I believe that recreational marijuana will eventually be legalized in Texas, we’ll probably be the last state to do so. However, I could be wrong.
Fox 4 News reports that State Representative Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas) filed House Bill 1937 on Monday, February 6. The bill would leave the legalization of recreational cannabis up to counties and municipalities.
You would think that a bill like this would pass easily in a state that is supposedly all about small government. To me, it makes perfect sense to leave it up to the cities to decide whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana.
But you might want to pump the brakes on that sort of thinking.
You see, Gonzalez filed the same sort of bill in 2021 and it didn’t even go up for a vote. So, of course, there’s a chance the same thing could happen again this year.
With that being said, it’s certainly worth revisiting because the fact of the matter is that Texas is losing out on a lot of potential revenue.
Each state surrounding Texas has at least decriminalized marijuana, with it being fully legal in New Mexico. And our neighbors to the north will soon vote for recreational marijuana.
Hopefully, our lawmakers are tired of Texans spending their money in other states and will make the move to keep those tax dollars right here where they belong.