The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee has passed HB 2165 which would completely decriminalize marijuana. Three Democrats and two Republicans voted to support the bill and it passed 5-2. The bill is championed by Rep. David Simpson (TP- Longview) who has argued that marijuana comes from God and therefore shouldn’t be banned by government.  Simpson, a Tea Party mainstay champions what he calls the “Christian case” for legalization.

Simpson’s bill is now eligible for consideration on the House floor before the legislative session ends June 1, but many view that as a remote possibility. Advocates for reform of marijuana laws viewed the committee vote as “unprecedented progress” for Texas marijuana rights. The bill would have strong popular support. According to a Texas Research Institute Public Policy Polling in September of 2013 almost 60% of Texas voters support legalizing and regulating marijuana similar to alcohol. That number has surely risen in the last two years as four states (Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon) have completely decriminalized cannabis.