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"A governor's race that's high-profile like the one that is showing up, where it could be Beto O'Rourke versus Greg Abbott, that's the very best chance to push these populist wedge concerns." But Joshua Blank, research study director for the Texas Politics Task at UT-Austin, stated cannabis legalization isn't a "extremely essential issue" for citizens on its own.

Advocates for legalization tie the concern to racial justice. In his 2011 book, O'Rourke linked the drug's prohibition 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 most likely than white Texans to be jailed for marijuana belongings, according to an April 2020 ACLU report.

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State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, who acted as political director on O'Rourke's 2018 campaign, stated the tide is turning on policies connecting to cannabis enforcement. For instance, Home Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, co-authored the 2019 expense that would have decreased charges for belongings before Patrick killed it. "A Gov.

But ultimately, to get something to the guv's desk, you've got to get it through the Senate," Moody stated. " The Latest Info Found Here needs to be on altering hearts and minds in the Senate." Moody would understand something about altering viewpoints. Now among the Legislature's most significant supporters of reducing charges for marjiuana charges, he said he disagreed with O'Rourke's position on cannabis a years ago.

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However he stated he's considering that grown "a lot 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 stated, a quality he included the general public ought to look for from their leaders. For Moody, El Paso which ended up being the very first U.S.

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"If you're going to right the wrong, if you think this is a scourge on our system, and it began here, then let's let it end here. Let's blaze a trail to end it," Moody stated. "That definitely is something that weighs greatly on my mind and on my shoulders when I work on this policy, and I picture it's the exact same for [O'Rourke]" Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a monetary fan of The Texas Tribune, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan news organization that is moneyed in part by donations from members, structures and corporate sponsors.

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