Texas legislation to decriminalize the possession of marijuana and marijuana concentrates has advanced through its first reading and given an official committee assignment in the Senate, the first steps required for it to eventually reach the Senate floor.
The House of Representatives gave approval to House Bill 218 late last month. The vote was 87 to 59. This sent the measure to the Senate.
The Senate advanced the proposal through its first reading and gave it a committee assignment two weeks after the House vote, on May 11. House Bill 218 now sits in the State Affairs Committee.
If the legislation advances through the committee process and is passed by the full Senate, it will be sent to Governor Greg Abbott for consideration.
Sponsored by State Representative Joe Moody, HB 218 would remove criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana or marijuana concentrates such as hash and oil. Those caught with up to an ounce could still be given a citation of up to $500, but there would be no possibility of arrest or a jail sentence.
The measure would also make it so that the possession of over one ounce of marijuana but no more than two ounces would no longer be an arrestable offense, but it would still be a potential class B misdemeanor that could appear on a person’s criminal record. However, the proposal allows those charges with possessing no more than two ounces to pay a $30 court to have it expunged from their record.
Under current Texas law the possession of even a miniscule amount of marijuana is a punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
