Texas House says YES to decriminalizing marijuana, Senate says NO so the bill is dead

I was optimistic when I read on yesterday that there was hope to passing a marijuana reform bill in Texas but today it died in the Senate after it overwhelmingly passed in the House by a vote of 98-43.

The Dallas Morning News reports that initially, House Bill 63 would have reduced criminal penalties for small amounts of marijuana possession.

It would’ve made possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a class C misdemeanor only punishable by a fine of no more than $500, under current Texas law even small amounts of marijuana are subject to a class B misdemeanor, a fine up to $2000 and up to 180 days of jail time.

Back to the drawing board or those who are looking at steps to decriminalize marijuana would probably have to wait until new lawmakers are in office.

Once lawmakers who oppose this, realize how much money the state will save, and then make, compared to other states who have decriminalized and altogether legalized marijuana maybe a change of heart will happen?

Who knows!