AUSTIN (AP) – Texas’ Republican lieutenant governor says he won’t support reducing penalties for small amounts of marijuana, calling it “a step toward legalization.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s opposition Tuesday followed a historic vote in the GOP-controlled Texas House to make possession of an ounce or less of the drug to a Class C misdemeanor.
Patrick, the Senate leader, called the bill “dead.” His disapproval underscores the resistance by Texas GOP leaders to relaxing marijuana laws even as the drug becomes increasingly legal elsewhere in the U.S.
A Democrat who originally pushed a decriminalization bill said political realities in the Texas Capitol forced him to weaken his measure ahead of the House vote.
Governor Greg Abbott signaled his support last year for reducing penalties to a lower misdemeanor but stopped short of publicly endorsing decriminalization.
(Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
