AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF News) – A letter from Governor Greg Abbott and other Texas Republican leaders urging district and county attorneys to keep enforcing marijuana laws is getting some push back.
The letter was issued after several state prosecutors decided to drop pot possession cases amid confusion involving the recently passed law involving hemp.
Several DA’s declined to prosecute such cases after the law legalized hemp and CBD containing less than three percent of THC, the compound found in marijuana that gets users high.
Current testing available to authorities only shows whether THC is present in the product but not whether it’s over the three percent threshold.
The letter, which in addition to Governor Abbott was also signed by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Attorney General Ken Paxton, stressed that marijuana is still illegal and insinuated prosecutors may have misunderstood the law.
It read in part:
“Marijuana has not been decriminalized in Texas, and these actions demonstrate a misunderstanding of how H.B. 1325 works. First, a person
claiming to transport hemp must have a certificate. Failure to have the required certificate while transporting hemp is a separate crime. Second, lab tests are not
required in every case and are more affordable than initial reporting indicated. Failing to enforce marijuana laws cannot be blamed on legislation that did not
decriminalize marijuana in Texas.”
Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot issued a statement saying the new law was not confusing. The letter stated in part:
“Our office will not charge a person with a marijuana offense without a laboratory report stating that the substance has an illegal concentration of THC.”
Governor Abbott’s letter added that lab tests are not required in every case and are more affordable than initial reports stated.
Click here to read the governor’s full letter.
Click here to read DA Cruezot’s full letter.
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