Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Senate won't pass bill to lower penalties for marijuana
His comment comes the day after the Texas House gave preliminary approval to the bill in a 98-43 vote. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Senators Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham and Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, hold a press conference to announce the filing of Senate bills 6, 7, and 8. Mar. 6, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes bill that reduces penalties for Texans caught with small amounts of marijuana
The House vote Monday is the first time the lower chamber approved such a measure, marking significant progress. But the opposition of the lieutenant governor remains a major hurdle. Full Story
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![Plants of marijuana names after Sen. Kevin Eltife who authored a bil in 2015l which would legalize oils containing cannabidiol found in marijuana known to treat epilepsy and other chronic medical conditions at Compassionate Cultivation, a home-grown medical cannabis company in Austin, Texas that serves patients throughout Texas on January 19, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House votes to legalize the farming of industrial hemp
Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant, but it contains low levels of the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC. The House's bill will now go to the Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Tracy King, D-Batesville, on the House floor on April 23, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
No, experts don't consider marijuana a gateway drug. That, and five more fact checks from the Texas Legislature on weed.
It’s unlikely Texas will become the next Colorado or California anytime soon. But when it comes to loosening criminal penalties or expanding medicinal use, how much of what each side says is true? Full Story
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![The Harris County Jail houses more than 8,000 inmates at any given time. For three months last year, 17-year-old Lena was one of them.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Meet the small El Paso publishing house behind the book Beto O'Rourke co-wrote about legalizing pot
Cinco Puntos Press has been publishing books that invoke a "sensibility of border life" for decades, including the only book authored, in part, by O'Rourke. Full Story
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![Lee, Bobby and John Byrd, owners of Cinco Puntos Press, who published O'Rourke's only book, "Dealing Death and Drugs."]()
Credit: Jorge Salgado for The Texas Tribune -
Point of Order: Will Texas Finally Go to Pot?
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Sen. Jose Menéndez about marijuana’s bipartisan moment — how the politics of legalization, decriminalization, medical cannabis and CBD oil make for strange budfellows. Full Story
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Tribcast: Dan Patrick's stance on medical cannabis, Castro's struggles, O'Rourke's first week
On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Alex, Aliyya and Ross about the mood in the Texas Capitol halfway through the session, why Dan Patrick has some pot advocates feeling paranoid and how the two Texans running for president are doing — and yes, there are still two. Full Story
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Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Despite powerful supporters, medical cannabis proposals face obstacle in Dan Patrick
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's wariness of proposals to expand the state's narrow medical cannabis program may block any such bills from reaching the governor's desk this session. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Parliamentarian Karina Davis on on the Senate floor on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmaker whose bill allowed medical cannabis oil wants to expand its use in 2019
State Rep. Stephanie Klick's bill would give Texans with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and spasticity access to medical cannabis oil. Full Story
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![Plants of marijuana at Compassionate Cultivation, a home-grown medical cannabis company in Austin, Texas that serves patients throughout Texas on January 19, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Guns are popular with Texans, and so are “red flag” laws, says UT/TT Poll
A strong majority of Texans told the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll that judges should be allowed to temporarily take guns away from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others. Full Story
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Credit: Photo Illustration by Shelby Knowles/Miguel Gutierrez Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
"I don't do this for fun." Patients are hopeful Texas will expand access to medical cannabis
The Texas Legislature is about to kick off its first session since three licensed marijuana dispensaries opened in the state, providing cannabis products for hundreds of patients. Now advocates are hopeful that lawmakers are ready to dramatically expand that program to thousands more Texans who stand to benefit. Full Story
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![Joshua Raines, an Afghanistan combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, smokes from his marijuana vape pen after returning home early from his son's choir performance due to experiencing PTSD symptoms.]()
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In the Texas Legislature, bills filed on marijuana, daylight saving are all fair game
Watch the first episode of our mini-documentary series, “Under the Dome,” chronicling the cast of characters passing laws in the Texas State Capitol. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
As more states legalize marijuana, is Texas poised to move in that direction?
In Texas, both political parties now support loosening the restrictions on marijuana in their platforms. That's just the clearest sign that both public opinion and the political calculus on pot are rapidly shifting. Full Story
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Analysis: On immigrants, death penalty and pot, Texans’ views now look more like the rest of the country
This looks like a year where the rule of "all politics is local" is out. The findings from the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll make it seem that "all politics is national." Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Family separations, political horse races, guns, weed and the NFL, from the UT/TT pollsters
In this special edition of the TribCast, Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey sits down with University of Texas at Austin pollsters Daron Shaw, Jim Henson and Josh Blank to talk about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Led by Democrats and young adults, most Texas voters want to legalize marijuana, UT/TT Poll finds
Most Texans are ready to legalize marijuana, but political obstacles remain, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas culture warriors got a lot to work with last week
Culture wars feed political wars, and the candidates on both sides in the 2018 election cycle got a couple of big issues to fight about last week. Full Story
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Report: Drugs or alcohol factor into half of Texas child abuse and neglect deaths
The number of Texas children dying from abuse and neglect decreased by 22.5 percent in fiscal year 2017, according to a state report, but drug and alcohol use among caregivers is still leading to deaths from trauma, accidental smothering while sleeping and auto accidents, among other causes. Full Story
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Within days, this Austin company hopes to start legally growing marijuana
If everything goes according to plan, scientists and manufacturers working out of Compassionate Cultivation will soon begin selling cannabis oil to patients with intractable epilepsy. Full Story
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![If everything goes according to plan, Compassionate Cultivation will be an operating medical marijuana dispensary in Austin before too long. CEO Morris Denton, left, and Director of Processing Chris Woods step into a small room where the extraction of cannabidiol will take place.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texans may be able to start buying medical cannabis oil in January
Three dispensaries expect to get final approval from Texas soon to start growing and cultivating marijuana. It’ll take another several months before they can begin distributing the kind of cannabis oil that lawmakers legalized in 2015. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott displays SB339 as Rep. John Zerwas, Rep. Stephanie Klick and Sen. Kevin Eltife watch. The bill would allow limited use of medical marijuana oil that will control seizures in epileptic children.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich