Republican incumbent Sid Miller agrees that the state’s medical marijuana laws should be expanded but stops there. Democratic challenger Susan Hays thinks all Texans should have access to cannabis.
“Myself, I really like consuming cannabis to get a good night’s sleep. It’s great for insomnia,” Hays said. “In Texas, there’s this lack of willingness to engage in facts, science or policy.”
Hays says Texas needs to decriminalize and legalize.
“What happens if you decriminalize, but you don’t regulate? The black market comes rushing in even more,” Hays said.
According to a recent poll by UT Tyler and The Dallas Morning News, many Texans agree with Hays. 55% want legal recreational use and 72% support medical marijuana.
And legalizing cannabis might come with some income. Colorado has made $2.2 billion in tax revenue since 2014 from legalizing marijuana – something Miller says he’s looked into.
“What they tell me is does generate a lot of revenue. A lot of revenue, but it’s pretty much a wash. It takes all that revenue to oversee and police the programming,” Miller said. [Read More @ KHOU]
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