Editor's Note: If Texas is successful in decriminalizing marijuana via H.B. 507, it would make Texas the second Southern state to do so. Mississippi also has decriminalized marijuana, according to NORML, the national organization that works to reform marijuana laws.
Joe Moody, an El Paso Democrat, filed a bill Monday to revamp Texas marijuana law. Mr. Moody’s criticism is plain and simple: “Our current marijuana policy in Texas just isn’t working.” In the midst of prison overcrowding and a general consensus that the war on drug is failing, this bill attempts to reconcile those differences.
Mr. Moody’s bill, H.B. 507, would severely adjust Texas’s current marijuana possession law. As it stands, possession of two ounces or less is classified as a Class B misdemeanor. Additionally, you can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $2000.00.  The new bill would basically make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana equal to a traffic citation. Moody’s bill also seeks to decrease penalties by removing jail time and lower the maximum fine to $100.
This marks a major shift in Texas’ approach to marijuana legislature in the coming session.
