When you can’t get something you want, you often settle for a poor substitute. For some, this means trying the various synthetic marijuana products out there and taking the health risks that go along with them. But with a recent survey suggesting as much as 92% of Texans support marijuana legalization, we can only hope the demand for those synthetics will one day drop to nil. [Read more…]
Marijuana Legalization Campaign Launched in Texas
The Marijuana Policy Project, credited with helping fund the successful legalization campaigns in both Colorado and Washington, has now launched a similar effort in the state of Texas. While most officials in the state think decriminalization will be the first step—potentially long before legalization—the Marijuana Policy Project is pushing hard to make the latter happen sooner rather than later. [Read more…]
Texas Moving Towards Marijuana Reform
While the rest of the country seems to be addressing marijuana prohibition with relatively swift action (as swift as law changes can be), Texas’ conservative and hardline criminal justice attitude have, until recently, largely kept any weakening of marijuana laws as a long shot.
Yet recent polling shows support for Colorado-style legalization as high as 58% among Texas citizens. But as citizens in all states increasingly support relaxed pot laws, even lawmakers in the Lone Star State are having to rethink their stances, albeit begrudgingly.
In January, a few lawmakers surprised Texans with statements that reflected a possible change in attitude towards marijuana reform. [Read more…]
Kratom: Another Designer Drug to Criminalize?
Over the past several years, we’ve seen many products labeled as “designer drugs”. Things like K2, Bath Salts, and Spice have all made their way across the country, enjoying some time in the media spotlight. Each one of these substances has then been labeled a dangerous drug and criminalized. Now, according to a report from CBS Dallas-Fort Worth, there’s a new drug to add to the list.
Kratom is a substance you can apparently find at local smoke shops. It’s a liquid derived from a leafy tree in Thailand. Already illegal in that country, Kratom is considered an herbal remedy for pain and an alternative to opium. [Read more…]
Majority of Texans Support Marijuana Law Changes, Legalization
Texas is one of several that are pushing for significant changes up to and including the legalization of recreational marijuana. The nationwide trend continues with states all across the country are changing the way they deal with marijuana crimes, and Texas is no exception to recognizing the senselessness of criminalizing weed.
A recent poll from the Marijuana Policy Project indicates well over half of Texas voters support legalizing and regulating pot like we currently do alcohol. [Read more…]
Editorial Calls for Fines, Not Arrests in Houston Drug Possession Cases
The U.S. bail system is broken, and in no place is that more evidence than Harris County, Texas, where someone can be held for days, weeks, or even months before they are adjudicated by the courts on something as minor as a drug possession charge. [Read more…]
Is Texas Moving Towards Marijuana Legalization?
Across the country, the attitude towards marijuana is changing—both among citizens and lawmakers. While almost 20 states have medical marijuana laws in place, two have legalized recreational marijuana and several others have pending legislation addressing both these areas. But, where does Texas stand in the world of marijuana legalization? [Read more…]
Drug Task Force Cops Facing Drug Charges
Seven former members of a South Texas police department are now facing serious charges of funneling drugs for profit. The cops, all former Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputies, are facing federal drug and conspiracy charges. [Read more…]
Crime Lab Scientist Could Be Cause of Thousands of Bad Drug Convictions
Jonathon Salvador was fired from his job as a drug analyst for Texas Department of Public Safety last year after it was discovered his work was unreliable—that he had falsified results and simply screwed up on numerous cases. But during his tenure he worked on nearly 5,000 cases—all of which could potentially be overturned in the wake of an investigation into his work. [Read more…]
State Jails Failing Offenders
The Texas state jail system was designed in the mid-nineties to offer a place between county lock-ups and state prison, somewhere to send low-level offenders without the risk of institutionalizing them for life, a place for them to get treatment and rehabilitation. But, the expensive middle-ground of incarceration is failing. [Read more…]
