58% of Texans support legalizing marijuana - area Congressman cosponsors bill requiring federal officials to comply with state marijuana laws

Two related stories provide further evidence that attitudes about marijuana are changing.

First

A majority of Texas voters would like to see the state go the way of Washington and Colorado and legalize possession of marijuana, according to a new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling for the Marijuana Policy Project.

According to the poll, 58 percent of the 860 respondents said they either "strongly support (41 percent)" or "somewhat support (17 percent)" changing the law in Texas to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol, licensing stores to sell the substance to adults age 21 and older. Of those in opposition, 14 percent "somewhat oppose" the full legalization of marijuana and 24 percent "strongly oppose" such a change.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they would like to remove criminal penalties for those in possession of an ounce or less of marijuana and make it a civil rather than criminal offense, punishable by a fine of up to $100 with no jail time. Under the current law, a person in possession of a small amount of the drug faces up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

"I would take this poll seriously, because it does generally track with Gallup and Pew polls nationwide," said Nathan Jones, a postdoctoral fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute.

"This shows that a majority of Texans are in support of fully legalizing marijuana."

Jones attributes the poll results in part to Texans' libertarian attitudes on spending tax dollars to enforce the state's marijuana policy and the cost of incarcerating drug offenders. The state also loses money due to lost productivity, when a non-violent offender is released from prison and is unable to find a good job.

Notice that some of the support for legalization has less to do with attitudes about the drug than concerns over the costs of prosecution.

Second

Texas Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, has recently backed a bill to require federal officials to comply with state marijuana laws, which was introduced in April and has since garnered support from Congressmen on both sides of the aisle.

The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013, introduced by California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican, would bar federal drug enforcement agents from penalizing any person abiding by the marijuana laws in their own state.

The law “shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with State laws” — that is, people who are in compliance with their state laws regarding possession, manufacture or use of marijuana will not be subjected to federal penalties.

Twenty-one states and Washington, D.C. have already legalized medical marijuana, and both Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use.

Stockman’s name was added to the bill as a sponsor on Saturday. He currently is the only Texas Congressman to cosponsor the bill, which has a total of 19 cosponsors. The bill was referred to to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations in April.

Washington ain't Austin

The Texas Tribune describes how the newly elected members of Congress from Texas are acclimating to their new positions and points out that polarization begins early:

In Austin this week, new legislators-elect were doing the same thing their Washington counterparts were doing. The freshmen were getting their offices, getting oriented, hiring for the session, finding furniture, getting ready for the show.

Here’s a difference: some tables in the room where the Texas legislators met had Republicans at them — and Democrats.

Washington is a different culture, with firmly drawn partisan lines. One new lawmaker tells a story of getting in line for security passes this week and finding that photographs were being taken of Democrats in one line and Republicans in the other.

The tribes are strong in Austin, too, but not like that.

From the Chronicle: Texas' clout in Congress may erode

This isn't a new story. Texas enjoyed tremendous influence in Congress throughout the 20th Century, but not so much since then.

From the Chron:

Texans are scrambling to salvage the Lone Star State's clout in the Republican-led House of Representatives as post-election changes are expected to strip two veteran lawmakers of committee chairmanships.

Six-year term limits are ending Rep. Lamar Smith's command of the wide-ranging 39-member House Judiciary Committee, an assignment the San Antonio Republican has used to showcase immigration and law enforcement issues crucial to Texas.

And Rep. Ralph Hall is preparing to step down as chairman of the 40-member House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, where the Rockwall Republican has spotlighted issues of concern to NASA and Houston's Johnson Space Center. 

The Revolving Door

The Texas Observer reports that the Democrats who lost seats due to redistricting have done alright for themselves as lobbyists.

Power Shift

This builds off the post below about the waning power of Texas.

Texas' loss may be California's gain. This doesn't necessarily bode well for the Democratic Party however since the state may pull the party as far to the uncompetitive left as the South has pulled the Republicans to the right.

Libertarian Pork

Ron Paul voted against the stimulus bill but was still able to secure almost $100 million in earmarks. The best among Texans, but others did well too.

Its Over.

Texas is far from the dominant player in politics it once was. This Wapo piece, just reproduced in the Chron today, outlines the factors which led to its influence, and those that have worked against it recently.

Texas Pork

We're number one! (OK, number three, but we can dream.) Only two states get more in federal spending than Texas. Nothing new in that--think about the Johnson Space Center.

Since we like to consider ourselves to be self sufficient conservatives, are we hypocrites? Or are we simply smart to take advantages of the opportunities we are given?

Note the following about our own Ron Paul: "Rep. Ron Paul has long crusaded against a big central government. But the maverick GOP lawmaker and presidential contender also has represented a congressional district that is consistently among the top in Texas in its reliance on dollars from Washington. In the first nine months of the federal government's 2006 fiscal year alone, it received more than $4 billion in federal aid."

He wants to get elected of course. Could he be if he refuses the money?

And how does ACC gets some of this filthy lucre?