A bill filed by Texas Rep. James Talarico on March 12th, has been filed in the Texas House.
The bill, called House Bill 4089, would legalize cannabis in the state if signed into law. It would also expunge past marijuana convictions and use the new tax revenue to fund early childhood education.
“This is a popular bipartisan idea,” Talarico said on Twitter. “According to [The Texas Tribune’s] latest polling, 60% of Texans support the full legalization of marijuana. Only 13% said it should be completely illegal.”
According to Talarico, those use marijuana do not move on to harder drugs. Many opponents are claiming that the plant is a “gateway drug.”
“In fact, medical research suggests alcohol and tobacco are far more dangerous to our health than cannabis,” explained Talarico. “Marijuana has health benefits and can be used to treat ailments like chronic pain, depression, and addiction. That’s why human beings have been using cannabis for more than 3,000 years.”
Talarico also said he believes this legislation could help end a “racist war on drugs” that targets Black and brown Americans.
“Black Americans are 4x more likely than White Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession even though both groups consume marijuana at the same rate,” he said.
