Texas cannabis decriminalization bill wins House committee approval

A committee of the Texas House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve bill that would decriminalize low-level cannabis possession, Marijuana Moment reports. 

The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee voted 9-0 to move ahead a proposal by State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, that would eliminate jail-time for many possession cases, according to the news site. Instead, police would write a ticket and the offender would receive a court date.

The measure, HB 218, also would enable Texans to wipe cannabis charges from their criminal records.

The bill hasn’t yet been scheduled for debate by the full Texas House.

The House passed similar decriminalization proposals during both the 2021 and 2019 legislative sessions, according to Marijuana Moment. However, both floundered in the Texas Senate. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over that chamber, has been a repeated roadblock for cannabis reform.

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This article appears in Mar 8-21, 2023.