Pubdate: Sun, 18 Jan 2015
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2015 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/send-a-letter/
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Rodger Jones

A GOP BID TO LET UP ON POT

John Baucum Steers Republicans Who Want to Change Marijuana Laws

A bipartisan coalition has formed to lobby the Legislature to revise 
marijuana laws and join the 28 states that have decriminalized or 
legalized use of small amounts. Republicans Against Marijuana 
Prohibition is one of the groups. We posed questions about the 
initiative to RAMP's political director, John Baucum, 31, who's also 
president of the Houston Young Republicans and an account manager for 
a software company: I'd guess some people are surprised to hear the 
name of your group - Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition - 
since the GOP typically represents the status quo on social issues. True?

Traditionally, Republicans have championed the principles of 
individual liberty, limited government and fiscal responsibility. 
 From a policy perspective, marijuana prohibition flies in the face 
of each of these values. However, there are certainly some people 
surprised to see Republicans helping to lead the fight for marijuana 
reform. Prohibition is a big-government idea, so those supporting a 
limited government should outwardly reject that notion. What do polls 
say in general about attitudes held by Republicans, vs. Democrats, on 
marijuana-related issues?

Just about every poll shows overwhelming public support for reforming 
marijuana laws. These numbers differ somewhat based on 
decriminalization or medical marijuana, but overall support remains 
very high. Republicans, in Texas, seem to be evenly split on medical 
marijuana, and a slight majority tends to support lowering the 
criminal penalty for possession of small amounts. But is there a gap 
overall between Republicans and Democrats? And is it as strong among 
younger people?

There is a gap between Republicans and Democrats, but neither party 
is really choosing to lead on this. In Congress, some of the most 
outspoken on marijuana reform are Republicans, such as congressmen 
Dana Rohrabacher of California, Justin Amash of Michigan and Thomas 
Massie of Kentucky, plus Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

I don't believe the gap is as wide among younger voters in the two 
parties. In our experience, young Republicans agree with RAMP, but 
they don't list marijuana policy as their top priority. Most 
reasonable people understand that prohibition is an abject failure 
and marijuana is not as dangerous as they've been led to believe from 
years of "reefer madness" propaganda. Tell me more about the "fiscal 
responsibility" issue you mentioned for Republicans.

Every two years, the Texas Legislature must pass a balanced budget. 
When bills are considered in committee, their budgetary impact is a 
prime indicator of whether the bill will pass through committee or 
not. In 2012, there were over 70,000 arrests or citations for 
marijuana-related offenses in Texas, and over 95 percent were for 
possession only. This creates a huge and expensive burden for law 
enforcement and our criminal justice system. What was your reaction 
when Gov. Rick Perry called drug-enforcement policies "flawed" last week?

Governor Perry has been in the lead on this issue for some time. From 
his states-rights comments in his book Fed Up! to telling Jimmy 
Kimmel, "You don't want to ruin a kid's life for having a joint," 
Perry and Texas Republicans have come together in a bipartisan way to 
push for smart criminal-justice reforms. We believe marijuana reform 
is an obvious step toward a more effective policing and public safety 
strategy. How far do you think the Legislature will go this year in 
changing marijuana laws?

There is a great chance that the Texas Legislature will pass some 
type of legislation reforming our draconian marijuana policy. Never 
before has there been such a large coalition working together on this 
issue to make reform a reality. Many diverse groups have come 
together to create a coalition called Texans for Responsible 
Marijuana Policy. We've spent the past several months visiting with 
lawmakers and educating them on the facts about marijuana.

On the criminal justice side, we are supporting HB 507, which would 
lower the penalty for possession of 1 ounce or less from its current 
status of a Class B misdemeanor ($2,000 fine and up to six months in 
jail) to a civil penalty not to exceed $100.

Later this session, a comprehensive medical marijuana bill will be 
introduced. It will allow patients with specific qualifying 
conditions to access medical marijuana upon the recommendation of 
their physician.

As a state that prides itself on limited bureaucracy, the government 
of Texas should not put itself between the doctor-patient 
relationships and deny lifesaving medicine to suffering individuals. 
You mentioned HB 507, the bill to make possession a civil penalty. 
The author, Rep. Joe Moody, is an exprosecutor, but law-enforcement 
people traditionally are hostile to pot reform. How do you size up 
the opposition?

Three of the largest cities in Texas - Houston, Dallas and Austin - 
are now veering from the Class B misdemeanor in some type of program. 
These efforts were led by prosecutors and law enforcement. When you 
have large cities looking at their crowded jail systems and asking 
the question, "Who is the easiest offender to deprioritize?" it's 
pretty obvious to pinpoint the low-risk pot offender.

Police we've talked to said they often, "make it a Class C in the 
field." In other words, they write a ticket for marijuana 
paraphernalia, a Class C, and let the encounter serve as a lesson. 
This shows you law enforcement is already thinking about different 
ways to handle the marijuana offender.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom