Description: News & Commentary About Criminal Justice Issues
One important trend in criminal justice reform is state efforts to legalize or decriminalize marijuana. At present, 29 states and the District of Columbia have some form of legalized marijuana . Approximately one-fifth of all United States citizens live in a jurisdiction in which marijuana is legal for adult use . Support for legal marijuana is at an all-time high (pardon the pun).
To some degree, American states have recognized that the war on marijuana is a tremendous waste of resources. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), marijuana arrests still account for over half of all drug arrests in the United States . This translates to billions of dollars spent policing and prosecuting offenses involving a substance that most people agree is less harmful than alcohol.
Unfortunately, marijuana is still illegal for all purposes in Texas. The latest push to decriminalize marijuana – House Bill 81 – to come out of the Texas legislature expired before the legislative session ended in May 2017. That bill would have changed the penalty for an ounce or less of marijuana to a civil fine of up to $250.