Despite the constant give and take of the cannabis industry in Texas, advocates remain hopeful that “time is on our side.”
The Texas Cannabis Policy Conference is underway at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
During an opening panel led by Kevin Caldwell of the Marijuana Policy Project, Austin Zamhariri of the Texas Cannabis Collective — who at one point called himself “weed Batman” — touched on marijuana prohibition and nonenforcement battles that have been lost in Texas, like the failed ballot initiative in Lubbock in May.
“It crushed me,” Zamhariri said. “The citizens of Lubbock decided in, you know, heavy amounts that they did not want marijuana decriminalization in their city. And that’s fair, and that’s what the democratic process is for.”
Still, Zamhariri stressed that losing a battle does not mean the war has been lost.
“Moral of the story is, be patient. Keep working. Don’t give up, because time is on our side. We are in the right places. We are the ones that are on the right side of history,” Zamhariri said. “The proof is the leading Republican nominee for president of the United States has openly come out and said that people should not be going to jail for small amounts of marijuana.”
Caldwell, who formerly served as the president of cannabis advocacy group CommonSenseNOLA, then chimed in to remind people that “cannabis advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint,” before pivoting the conversation to talk about the “social justice aspect to cannabis — particularly in a state like Texas.”
The Southeast legislative manager of the Marijuana Policy Project then stated that “a lot of advocates are breaking the law” just to get the types of cannabis they need.
Some who qualify for Texas’ minimal medical marijuana program (known as the Texas Compassionate Use Program), which Caldwell stressed falls short of being a robust medical program, can’t afford to participate in it. Or their medical condition is not covered by the program. According to panelist Chase Bearden of the Texas Patients First Foundation, this is one of many “serious issues” with the program.
Bearden also said “police officers don’t know the difference” between legal medical marijuana and illegal recreational marijuana, noting that the lack of regulation in Texas “puts people in harm’s way.”
While it can be easy to lose faith in a state like Texas that seems adamantly against all forms of cannabis, Zamhariri made sure to note that “our governor (Greg Abbott) has never vetoed a cannabis bill.”
Even Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has, in the past, “allowed (cannabis) legislation to get to the governor’s desk,” Zamhariri stressed in an apparent attempt to keep the optimism around the cannabis industry in Texas at an all-time high.
The Texas Cannabis Policy Conference runs through Saturday, Sept. 14.
Cannabis advocates in Texas, including “weed Batman,” are keeping the nonenforcement faith alive at the Texas Cannabis Policy Conference. Read More