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Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
Sorry to hear that you had a gun held to your face. Seriously.
I know that maybe you haven't been here long enough to pick this up, but crime of all sorts is sorta like my favorite topic. More specifically, ways to reduce crime without locking up 4 million minor drug offenders, without making good citizens feel afraid in our society, without grossly increasing governmental expenditures etc.
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Hey, you'll be happy to hear, then, that HB 254, which would restructure sentencing for low level marijuana possession, finally got out of the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Thursday. It got unanimous support in committee, and the only real worries were that representatives didn't want to look like they were getting soft on crime. The benefit, though, is that it clears up a lot of valuable jail space, and frees up law enforcement for other purposes. According to
this fact sheet on the bill 57% of all 2003 drug possession arrests in Texas were for marijuana. Used to be in this state that you were thrown in jail for up to a year for possession. Looks like it's just going to be a hefty fine soon.
More info on the bill here.
