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"A guv's race that's prominent like the one that is showing up, where it might be Beto O'Rourke versus Greg Abbott, that's the very best chance to press these populist wedge issues." But Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project at UT-Austin, stated cannabis legalization isn't a "extremely crucial concern" for voters by itself.

Supporters for legalization tie the concern to racial justice. In his 2011 book, O'Rourke linked the drug's restriction in the early 20th century to racist fears of Mexican immigrants. Supporters today highlight the racial variations in existing law's enforcement. Black Texans are 2. 6 times more likely than white Texans to be arrested for cannabis belongings, according to an April 2020 ACLU report.
State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, who acted as political director on O'Rourke's 2018 campaign, stated the tide is switching on policies associating with marijuana enforcement. For example, Home Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, co-authored the 2019 bill that would have reduced charges for possession prior to Patrick killed it. "A Gov.
But eventually, to get something to the governor's desk, you've got to get it through the Senate," Moody said. "Our focus has to be on altering hearts and minds in the Senate." Moody would know something about changing opinions. Now one of the Legislature's greatest proponents of lowering penalties for marjiuana charges, he said he disagreed with O'Rourke's position on marijuana a years earlier.
However he stated he's given that grown "far more comfortable" with the concept that legalization is "a major piece of the puzzle." O'Rourke was "ahead of the curve" on marijuana legalization, Moody said, a quality he included the general public must look for from their leaders. For Moody, El Paso which became the first U.S.

"If you're going to right the incorrect, if you believe this is a scourge on our system, and it started here, then let's let it end here. Let's blaze a trail to end it," Moody stated. " Read More Here is something that weighs heavily on my mind and on my shoulders when I work on this policy, and I picture it's the same for [O'Rourke]" Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has actually been a financial fan of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan wire service that is moneyed in part by contributions from members, structures and business sponsors.

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