What Do Amarillo’s Elected Officials Think Of Mary Jane?
I'm sure you've always wondered how our elected officials feel about marijuana. It's the kind of burning question that keeps you up at night, believe me, I know.
Okay maybe I'm being a little sarcastic.. But what if I told you that I found myself wondering that exact thing and threw myself down the political rabbit hole. I found out quite a bit about the politicians we've elected and their stance on both recreational and medical use of cannabis--it's oddly fascinating.
Why should you care about what these politicians think about legislation Involving marijuana? Because it may very well become something you do care about soon!
But first, POP QUIZ!
Now that we've gotten your stance on mary jane, let's see how that holds up against our elected representatives.
First up is a well-known local politician.
Rep. Four Price, District 87
Four Price is the state representative for Carson, Moore, Sherman, Potter, and Hutchinson counties.
He does not support.....
- Federal legalization
- States legalizing adult-use cannabis
- States legalizing medical cannabis
- Reducing penalties for marijuana possession
What's interesting about Four Price is that despite his hardline take on the criminal penalties of marijuana, he did surrender a medical marijuana bill out of the health committee he chairs. Perhaps he might be softening up to the medical aspect.
Rep John T Smithee, District 86
He does not support.....
- Federal legalization
- States legalizing adult-use cannabis
- States legalizing medical cannabis
Smithee supports mandatory minimums and jail time for possession. He has also voted against medical usage of cannabis.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (TX-13) R
U.S. Congressman Ronny Jackson is our Representative on the federal level for the 13th congressional district of Texas. District 13 covers most of the Texas Panhandle--including Amarillo--and northwestern parts of North Texas.
He does not support.....
- Federal legalization
- States legalizing adult-use cannabis
- States legalizing medical cannabis
Rep. Jackson is vehemently against legalizing recreational marijuana, as i gathered from this 2020 iVoter release. However, just a few years prior in 2018, he's on record with the State Tribune supporting the VA's efforts to research medical marijuana.
Senator John Cornyn
Senator John Cornyn is one of Texas' two representatives at the federal level.
He does not support....
- Federal legalization
- States legalizing adult-use cannabis
- States legalizing medical cannabis
Surprisingly, I found that last year, Cornyn introduced Introduced the Kenneth P. Thompson Begin Again Act, which would allow individuals who have completed their probation for a first-time, low-level drug possession offense to apply for expungement of their conviction.