New polling shows that a plurality of Texas’ voters would like to see the state marijuana laws made “less restrictive,” says a newly released survey. Voters say the proposal for hemp regulation was the least significant of the recent legislative proposals that lawmakers have considered.
The University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll, conducted in response to the heated debate over Texas hemp policies within the Legislature, found that 48 percent of voters registered with the state believe the cannabis laws should be relaxed.
Other 16 percent also said that the laws should remain the same while 22 percent stated they should “be more strict.”
Since April 2010, support for reducing cannabis restrictions has increased five points, while that for increasing restrictions is down eight points.
In the latest poll, Democrats, with 62 per cent, were more likely than Republicans or Independents to favor a relaxation of cannabis laws. The independents were followed by Republicans (35%).
Asked to rank how important or unimportant they viewed various legislative items that were taken up by the legislature during recent special sessions, only 14 percent of respondents said it was “extremely important”—the lowest of all nine issues that also included dealing with flooding in central Texas, reducing property taxes, revising the state’s congressional district map and more.
The hemp issue was rated as “not very significant” by 33% of the voters, the second-highest percentage.
Interviews were conducted with 1200 Texas voters between August 22 and September 1. The margin of error was +/- 2.83 percent.
These findings are coming as Gov. Greg Abbott (R), after the Legislature failed to agree on an outright ban, which was opposed by industry and activists alike, signed an executive ordering to establish age limitations and labeling for hemp products that contain THC.
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Meanwhile, Texas officials have taken another step toward implementing a law to significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana program—proposing rules to to let physicians recommend new qualifying conditions for cannabis and to create standards for allowable inhalation devices in line with legislation enacted by lawmakers and the governor earlier this year.
Abbott vetoed an earlier version of the controversial proposal that passed during this year’s regular session.
During the first special session, Rep. Nicole Collier (D) introduced a one-page bill, HB 42, designed to protect consumers in the state from criminal charges if what they believed was a legal hemp product turned out to contain excessive amounts of THC, making it illegal marijuana. The bill would protect consumers from criminal charges if they are found to be in possession of hemp-based products that contain excessive amounts of THC, making them illegal marijuana.
For the purchaser to be entitled to legal protection the hemp-based product must have been bought “from an authorized retailer that the buyer reasonably believed to be authorized to sell consumable hemp products.”
Another bill—HB 195, introduced by Rep. Jessica González (D)—would legalize marijuana for people 21 and older, allowing possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, with no more than 15 grams of that amount being in concentrated form.
A third proposal requires state officials conduct an intoxication test for THC.
Separately, about a month after the state Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) circulated the draft rules at a meeting, they have now been formally published in the Texas Register—kicking off a 31-day public comment period before they’re potentially finalized.
Last month, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) separately posted a set of additional rules in the Register to increase the number of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in Texas under the recently enacted legislation.
DPS issuing licenses to 12 dispensaries in the entire state. There are currently only three. Additional licensees are selected through a competition, and officials will prioritize the public health regions of Texas to maximize access.
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