Texas may become the next state to legalize marijuana.
Texas State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, filed a bill Monday that would repeal his state’s ban on growing, possessing and selling marijuana — something he believes God intended.
“I don’t believe that when God made marijuana he made a mistake that government needs to fix,” Simpson in a Monday op-ed in Trib Talk. “Civil government should value everything God made and leave people alone unless they meddle with their neighbor.”
The bill’s approach to legalizing the drug is a bit different than other states’, however.
If the 24-page bill were to be approved by state legislature, all Texas statutes referencing the drug would be repealed beginning on Sept. 1 and Texas would begin regulating marijuana like it regulates, “tomatoes, jalapeños or coffee,” his office said in a press release to KETK NBC.
“Current marijuana policies are not based on science or sound evidence, but rather misinformation and fear. All that God created is good, including marijuana. God did not make a mistake when he made marijuana that the government needs to fix,” he said in the press release, adding, “Let’s allow the plant to be utilized for good — helping people with seizures, treating warriors with PTSD, producing fiber and other products — or simply for beauty and enjoyment.”
Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for recreational use; 23 states plus the District of Columbia have laws legalizing medical marijuana.
