(CN) — Drug reform is seeing some wins after an otherwise conservative Texas legislative session. The Republican-controlled statehouse this year passed a range of modest reform measures, proving that even in right-wing states, some politicians are moving beyond the war on drugs.
Unless Republican Governor Greg Abbott vetoes the bills — and observers don’t expect he will — Texas will soon expand its medical cannabis program, allowing for new conditions and raising the caps on THC, the main active component in marijuana. Lawmakers also agreed to study several federally controlled drugs — including psilocybin, ketamine and MDMA — and their effects on veterans with post-traumatic stress.
Lawmakers also passed or nearly passed several other measures, making it a relatively productive session for drug reform by Texas standards. These reforms come amid what Abbott has called “the most conservative legislative session in a generation.”
Drug reform has long been seen as a liberal issue — but in Texas and beyond, Republicans are also increasingly voting for reform efforts. In Mississippi and South Dakota, residents last year voted for ballot measures to legalize medical and recreational marijuana, respectively.
To understand the shifting political winds in Texas, it helps to look to state Senator Brian Birdwell, a Republican representing an area just south of Fort Worth. During the last legislative session in 2019, Birdwell drew ire from advocates when he spoke for 20 minutes about his “highly guarded sense of danger” towards marijuana.
He warned that cannabis reform was a “road to perdition.” He implied that marijuana use was linked to murders. A bill that year to expand the state’s medical cannabis program was heavily watered down, stymying veterans suffering from PTSD who lobbied hard to be in the program.
During this session, as always, marijuana reformers in Texas didn’t get everything they hoped for. But they made progress nonetheless — and this time, even Birdwell was on board.
When a bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program arrived at one of Birdwell’s senate committees, there were no fiery speeches. Instead, Birdwell voted unanimously with his colleagues to allow patients with cancer and PTSD into the program — a far bigger expansion than the one he opposed just two years ago.
Birdwell did not respond to a request for comment, including to ask if and why his views on marijuana have evolved since 2019. But among Texas Republicans, the shifting attitudes on drugs mirror the situation nationwide.
Texas has had Republican control for decades and does not have ballot measures, meaning state voters must rely on lawmakers for reform. The state’s Compassionate Use Program, which only allows for low-THC cannabis products, is one of the most restrictive medical marijuana programs in the country.
Heather Fazio, executive director for Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, has spent years lobbying state lawmakers for reforms. Progress has been slow since 2015, when the state first passed the Compassionate Use Program.
There were some big disappointments this year, including the ultimate failure of a bill to eliminate felony punishments for marijuana concentrates like those found in edibles. But grading on a curve for Texas, she said it was a “good session” for advocates and patients.
Outside the Legislature, polling shows that Texans support expanding medical marijuana or legalizing the drug altogether. In a March poll by the University of Texas and Texas Tribune, 60% of Texans said marijuana should be legalized completely, while another 28% said it should be legalized for medical purposes only.”Only 13% said it should not be legal at all.
Polling by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, which compared views on marijuana to political affiliation, shows that even most Texas Republicans support marijuana reform to some degree. Thirty-six percent said medical marijuana should be legal with a prescription, and 23% said possession of small amounts should be legal. Thirteen percent said possession of any amount should be legal, for a total of 72% of Republicans.
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