Simpson marijuana bill provokes opposition, support among Longview area constituents
Simpson pushes legal pot bill
State Rep. David Simpson’s bill to comprehensively repeal marijuana prohibitions in state law drew opposition from law enforcement Tuesday but praise from a Libertarian Party leader as taking a bite out of a failed war on drugs.
Simpson of Longview cited the trillion-dollar drug war as one reason for filing House Bill 2165 in Austin.
“I think the approach of the war on drugs policies has demonstrated complete failure,” the tea party Republican said Tuesday. “It’s a waste of resources, both in lives and money.”
Rather than decriminalizing marijuana for highly regulated — and taxed — medical or recreational use, as some states have done, Simpson’s measure simply legalizes the plant itself.
Filed late Monday, the measure had not attracted any co-sponsors by Tuesday night, but Simpson said he’s not alone.
“I did it because constituents have expressed a desire for that (plant) and for its medicinal use,” he said. “There’s Republicans, and there’s even elected officials — a lot of them don’t want to talk about it in public, but they have told me in private — that support repeal, complete repeal, in both (Gregg and Upshur) counties.”
The bill also reflects Simpson’s faith.
“God didn’t make a mistake when he made marijuana, a mistake that government needs to fix,” he said. “It is innately good and can be abused.”
So can alcohol, caffeine — food, itself, he added, citing Biblical instruction against consuming too much food or wine, or sleeping too much.
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