Marijuana legalization could bring in over $1 billion to Texas. Could it happen?
With Texas facing a large economic deficit brought on by the coronavirus, some Democratic lawmakers and marijuana advocates believe the budget can be restored by legalizing recreational marijuana as reports show it could bring in about $1 billion in revenue a year.
A mix of bills addressing marijuana have already been filed as lawmakers prepare for the 87th Legislature, which is slated to start in January. None of them has been authored, co-authored or sponsored by Tarrant County Republican lawmakers.
Last legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill legalizing hemp and thus making CBD oil legal in Texas. Sean Taylor-Sears, part-owner of Purely CBD in Fort Worth, said legalization of marijuana would not bring down the sales of CBD because his product is catered for those who want a relaxing feeling but don’t want to be high. Those who want marijuana will buy marijuana, not CBD, and vice versa, he said.
Legalization would create jobs and help the state overcome its $4.58 billion shortfall, advocates argue, but it won’t be an easy task to get cannabis bills through a Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick-led Texas Senate.
Tarrant County House Districts 92, 93, 94, 96 and 97 will be represented by Republicans Jeff Cason, Matt Krause, Tony Tinderholt, David Cook and Craig Goldman. Cason, Tinderholt, Goldman did not respond when asked if they would support marijuana legislation. Krause told the Star-Telegram he had no comment.
Cook said he would not be in favor of any legalization of marijuana or the decriminalization of it. Instead, he urges lawmakers to look at industries that have made the Texas economy successful, such as oil and gas.
Any type of pro-marijuana legislation would signal to young people that it’s OK to use drugs, he said.
“It doesn’t sit well with me,” he said. “From a moral standpoint, I think that it would be a terrible idea.”
But Cook is in favor of medical use and would welcome improvement to medical use if legislation is used to help the doctors and patients.
Medical cannabis is legal, but very limited. The Texas Compassionate Use Act allows people with epilepsy to use cannabis oil with very low levels of THC. Last year, it was expanded to include those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Deborah Peoples, the Tarrant County Democratic Party chairperson, said while her party doesn’t have an official stance on the issue, she believes legalizing marijuana is an option to revitalize the Texas economy.
Financial gain
Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, has been trying to get marijuana legislation passed in Texas for years. Whether to legalize it or reduce punishment, Fazio wants to make progress with cannabis in Texas.
This upcoming legislative session, Fazio and lawmakers will arguably have one of their strongest weapons in the fight to make Texas a marijuana-friendly state, according to Mark Jones, political science professor at Rice University: A struggling economy.
The state could bring in an estimated $1.1 billion dollars per biennium if Texas legalized marijuana and taxed it the same as Colorado, according to a report by an Austin-based cannabis law firm. The firm estimates 1.5 million adults 21 and older in Texas use cannabis monthly.
In the same report, the firm anticipates that 20,000 to 40,000 direct jobs and tens of thousands of indirect jobs could be created.
Colorado brought in $1.7 billion from marijuana sales in 2019 and is close to surpassing that figure in 2020 with $1.6 billion between January and September, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Money projections like these have been made for years, but Fazio said that fear and misinformation about the effects of marijuana have driven a false-narrative. She finds it absurd that marijuana is sometimes listed in the same categories as heroin and cocaine.
UT Arlington economics professor William Crowder doesn’t think money will just pour in if cannabis becomes legal.
Crowder said the illicit market will not simply fade away. Strict punishments would have to be in place to deter the illegal selling of marijuana.
Staunch opposition
Even with the Texas budget in a “dire” situation, Jones said he doesn’t see a scenario where the Texas Senate, headed by Patrick, will legalize marijuana or pass any decriminalization measures.
“If somehow you could get it out of the House, I think it would be dead on arrival at the Senate,” Jones said.
Jones said Texas has a better chance of legalizing casinos than legalizing cannabis.
Patrick has been against legalization or decriminalization and he showcased his opposition during the last legislative session when he declared a decriminalization bill dead less than 24 hours after the Texas House gave preliminary approval, according to the Texas Tribune.
Patrick did not respond to an interview request.
One of the most persistent lawmakers trying to push for progress toward marijuana legalization is Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat from El Paso. For years Moody has introduced bills that either decriminalize or legalize marijuana.
This upcoming session is no different. Moody has filed House Bill 447, which would allow possession of up to 2.5 ounces of by anyone over 21. For concentrates, the limit would be 15 grams. Texans would also be able to have up to 12 cannabis plants in their homes.
Moody said he knows it’ll be a battle to get his bill passed but he simply wants to get the conversation going. He said if his bill doesn’t pass it will still be a win if decriminalization or expanded medical use bills are adopted.
Before he was an advocate for legal marijuana use, he said, he put people in jail for possession as a district attorney. He changed his mind after hearing stories about people who have had their lives ruined after being jailed for possession.
He hopes he can have the same impact on those who are against him.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
