![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-28.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Texas legislators made progress this session on some incremental marijuana policy changes. But activists were hoping for more, and a newly formed progressive coalition that\u2019s being led by two former congressional candidates is aiming to take cannabis and other issues directly to voters by putting reform measures on local ballots across the state.<\/p>\n
Ground Game Texas, a nonprofit spearheaded by former Democratic candidates Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel, isn\u2019t exclusively focused on marijuana. But their mantra is \u201cworkers, wages and weed\u201d\u2014indicating that the group views drug policy reform as a key part of the its mission.<\/p>\n
By engaging voters on issues like marijuana reform that are popular among young people and Democrats, it stands to reason that the organization could also influence turnout in upcoming elections, potentially shifting the GOP-skewed balance of power in the conservative state legislature.<\/p>\n
There is no statewide citizen-led initiative process that would enable advocates to put an issue like decriminalization or legalization on the Texas ballot. But at the local level, there are limited cases where activists can leverage home rule laws that allow for policy changes.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, major metropolitan areas like Austin and Dallas have already independently enacted law enforcement policy changes that reduce enforcement for marijuana-related offenses\u2014by issuing citations and summons, for example. That\u2019s the type of limited reform that could theoretically be accomplished via citizen initiative under certain local statutes.<\/p>\n
A strong majority of Texans back even broader reform, according to recent polling. Sixty percent of voters in the state support making cannabis legal \u201cfor any use,\u201d<\/a> signaling that local initiatives for more modest proposals like decriminalization would likely pass easily.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not waiting for politicians to make change,\u201d Ground Game Texas said<\/a>. \u201cWe will work to put popular policies on the ballot and engage voters on the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProgressive ideas\u2014a $15 minimum wage, expanding Medicaid, legalizing marijuana\u2014are popular ideas,\u201d it said. \u201cWe need to lead with the progressive policies that cross political boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear which cities might be targeted for cannabis reform initiatives at this point, but the group told<\/a> The Texas Tribune that it has had conversations about pursuing some of the reforms it wants to work on in 10 cities, including Mission, Bedford and Elgin.<\/p>\n\n Cannabis reform advocates said putting the issue on the ballot could have effects that reach farther than just the cities that enact new policies.<\/p>\n \u201cTexans are eager for marijuana law reform,\u201d Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, told Marijuana Moment. \u201cUsing this issue to rally voters is smart and could greatly impact the make up our our state\u2019s next legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n Ground Game Texas is being launched shortly after this year\u2019s legislative session ended, which saw numerous drug policy proposals advance, with bills to expand the state\u2019s medical cannabis program and require a study into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics for military veterans having been sent to the governor\u2019s desk<\/a>. But broader reforms such as marijuana decriminalization did not get enacted.<\/p>\n \u2014 Three progressive Texan political figures\u2014former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Juli\u00e1n Castro, former state Rep. Wendy Davis and former U.S. Rep. Beto O\u2019Rourke\u2014have endorsed Ground Game Texas and said in a statement that it \u201cis going to meet Texans where they are at to listen to them about the issues that matter most,\u201d the Tribune reported.<\/p>\n Sawyer Hackett, executive director of Castro\u2019s separate People First Future group, said the new organization will engage in \u201cyear-round door knocking and put progressive policies\u2014like marijuana legalization and $15 min wage\u2014on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n Today @GroundGameTX<\/a> was launched in Texas to do year-round door knocking and put progressive policies\u2014like marijuana legalization and $15 min wage\u2014on the ballot.<\/p>\n Watch this space and follow @JulieOliverTX<\/a> and @SiegelForTexas<\/a> for updates. pic.twitter.com\/lr3LXnagUT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) June 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n With respect to the recently ended legislative session, advocates\u00a0remain disappointed that they were unable to pass more expansive cannabis bills<\/a>\u2014including a decriminalization proposal that cleared the House but saw no action in the Senate.<\/p>\n The\u00a0House approved a cannabis decriminalization bill<\/a>\u00a0in 2019,\u00a0but it did not advance<\/a>\u00a0in the Senate that session.<\/p>\n Texas isn\u2019t the only state in which organizers are trying to put marijuana on local ballots. Ohio activists recently qualified a measure to decriminalize cannabis<\/a> to appear on a local 2021 ballot\u2014the first of dozens of reform proposals that could go before voters this year as signature gathering efforts continue across the state.<\/p>\n Trump Clemency Recipient Says Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill Will Leave Many Prisoners Behind<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n The post New Texas Group Plans To Put Marijuana Initiatives On Local Ballots After Legislative Disappointments<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Texas legislators made progress this session on some incremental marijuana policy changes. But activists were hoping for more, and a newly formed progressive coalition that\u2019s being led by two former congressional candidates is aiming to take cannabis and other issues directly to voters by putting reform measures on local ballotsContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":48156,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48157,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48155\/revisions\/48157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,100 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-27.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\nRead More: New Texas Group Plans To Put Marijuana Initiatives On Local Ballots After Legislative Disappointments<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"