Democrats Want To Legalize Marijuana This Year, Even In Texas

Republican lawmakers aren’t really fans of legalizing marijuana*, but Democrats are.

*(More on that below.)

According to CNBC News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon, will push to pass legislation to end the federal prohibition on marijuana.

The main component to this is that the reform would provide restorative justice for people who have been convicted of pot-related crimes.

“Ending the federal marijuana prohibition is necessary to right the wrongs of this failed war and end decades of harm inflicted on communities of color across the country,” the trio said in a joint statement, stressing that the war on drugs has been a war on people, particularly of color.

According to the report, a Gallup poll in November showed that almost 70% of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana.

15 states in the Union, including Washington D.C., have decriminalized marijuana for recreational use, while 36 states permit medical use of the drug. Texas is among those 36 states, but as the Texas Tribune reports, the Lone Star State's medical marijuana program is incredibly restrictive and not at all easy for those with debilitating conditions to take part in.

As I said earlier this week, states such as California and Washington have made more than $300 million thanks to marijuana sales. That's despite the fact that marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law.

It's worth noting that while a great many Republican lawmakers have opposed removing that Schedule I status, there actually are more right-leaning Americans who agree that marijuana should be legalized.

Plenty of them would probably consider themselves Republicans or Libertarians.

So, what’s the hold up again, Texas? It's 2021.