Lubbock group pushes forward with marijuana ballot question despite Paxton lawsuit
The Texas attorney general has sued five other cities that have passed similar policies decriminalizing marijuana. Full Story
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![Nathan Lewis gets signatures on a petition to to legalize marijuana from Andrew Alcala, center, and Yvette Castillo, right, at the South Plains Fair Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton sues five Texas cities that decriminalized marijuana
Voters in Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton approved the policies in 2022. The attorney general said the ordinances are inconsistent with laws enacted by the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![An Austin police officer in Southwest Austin on Dec. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Lubbock voters will decide whether to decriminalize marijuana in 2024
Voters in several Texas cities have sought to decriminalize marijuana. However, their efforts have been met by reluctant city councils that say they can’t go against state law. Full Story
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![A shirt promotes the legalization of marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Residents in one of Texas’ most populous cities are working to decriminalize marijuana
Home to more than 260,000 people, the West Texas town of Lubbock is no stranger to passing local laws by petition. In 2021, residents overwhelmingly approved a local ban on abortion. Full Story
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![Giselle Ramirez stands with her clipboard of signatures to support the petition to legalize marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
In a Central Texas county, high schoolers are jailed on felony charges for vaping what could be legal hemp
Police often can’t tell if a cannabis vape pen is derived from marijuana or legal hemp, like the delta-8 products on display in gas stations across Texas. That doesn’t stop them from making felony arrests in high schools. Full Story
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![Miles Leon poses for a portrait inside his home on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 near Bulverde, TX. Leon was caught using a vape pen police say had THC but Leon claims had Delta-8. Leon could be charged with a felony for possession if tests show it was THC as a 17 year old in Texas Leon would be charged as an adult.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas veterans vow to protect the state’s hemp market as one state lawmaker hopes to crack down
The new delta-8 hemp products, which are widely available, can produce a high similar to marijuana’s. State Sen. Charles Perry said he and his peers never intended for such products to reach the market. Full Story
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![Dave Walden, wearing a Veterans of Foreign Wars cap demonstrates how the CBD vending machine works by purchasing a product, in Leander on Nov. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Voters in five Texas cities approved decriminalizing marijuana. Now city officials are standing in the way.
Some local leaders say they worry the changes violate state law, while residents who supported decriminalizing marijuana say the pushback disrespects democracy. Full Story
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![Newly planted marijuana plants at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Five Texas cities vote to decriminalize having small amounts of marijuana
Voters in Denton, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Harker Heights overwhelmingly supported the local ballot propositions to decriminalize low-level possession. These moves followed Austin voters’ similar decision in May. Full Story
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Biden is calling for marijuana possession pardons. But that doesn’t mean it’ll happen in Texas.
Biden’s federal pardons will help at least 6,500 people, though most possession crimes are charged at the state level. Gov. Greg Abbott hasn’t yet said whether he’ll follow suit. Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke was quick to support the measure. Full Story
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![People in support of de-scheduling marijuana hold flags with images of marijuana leaves in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 24, 2017.]()
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Hemp was supposed to save Texas farmers during a drought. It hasn’t yet.
Hemp advocates promised the Texas Legislature the crop was drought resistant. The 2022 drought has proven otherwise. And farmers are abandoning the nascent market. Full Story
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![Kyle Bingham in his hemp crop at Bingham Family Vineyards on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
CBD, hemp, delta-8, medical marijuana: Here’s what you need to know about Texas’ pot laws
In 2019, Texas legalized hemp, but not marijuana. The new law led to confusion about which marijuana products are legal in Texas. Meanwhile, support for legalizing the drug remains high in polling, and other cannabis-derived products like delta-8 have emerged. Full Story
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![Products containing Delta-8 at Oasis A CBD Wellness Shop in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas politicians can change their minds. But it helps if the public goes first.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s openness to marijuana decriminalization shows that the state, while conservative, isn’t immune to larger trends. Full Story
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![A recently harvested marijuana flower hangs up to dry at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Austin voters could decriminalize small amounts of pot in May
“Small possession of marijuana is not the type of violation that we want to stockpile jails with,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday. Full Story
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![Mature marijuana plants at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke’s blunt support of marijuana legalization gives advocates hope for policy change
While the Texas Legislature has been hesitant to embrace policy change, advocates hope the O’Rourke campaign’s attention to marijuana legalization will give the issue a political boost. Full Story
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![Singer Willie Nelson, his son Lukas Nelson and U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke sing at the “Turn out for Texas Rally with Willie & Beto” event in Austin on September 29, 2018.]()
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Texas said delta-8 is illegal. But state troopers haven’t made a single arrest.
Texas health officials insist delta-8 is an illegal substance and has been for 40 years. Full Story
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![Products containing Delta-8 at Oasis A CBD Wellness Shop in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Delta-8 is legal in Texas — for now — after Travis County judge blocks state from criminalizing the cannabis extract
A Travis County judge temporarily blocked the state from listing delta-8 as a Schedule I drug, which effectively made it illegal. The cannabis extract became popular because users say it produces the “high” effect of marijuana. Full Story
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![Products containing Delta 8 THC on the counter at GR8 Vapes in San Marcos on Oct. 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas says popular cannabis extract, delta-8, is illegal, sending retailers scrambling
The federal farm bill in 2018 made the substance legal because of its low THC content. Full Story
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![Products containing Delta 8 THC on the counter at GR8 Vapes in San Marcos on October 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas cancer patients and people with PTSD will soon be able to join state’s expanded medical marijuana program
A new law going into effect Sept. 1 will also increase the cap of THC in medical marijuana to 1%. Full Story
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![David Bass at his home in Killeen on Aug. 8, 2021. “In the next year, we hope that more municipalities decide to stop wasting police resources on arresting people for small amounts of cannabis.”]()
Credit: Cindy Elizabeth for The Texas Tribune -
Watered-down expansion of Texas’ medical marijuana program signed into law
House Bill 1535 expands eligibility for the Texas Compassionate Use Program to people with cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder. It's effective Sept. 1. Full Story
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![Newly planted marijuana plants at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
A bill to expand Texas’ medical marijuana program started moving in the Senate. Advocates worry time is running out.
House Bill 1535 would expand the state’s medical cannabis program to include those with chronic pain, all cancer patients and Texans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Full Story
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![Mature marijuana plants at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune