Legislative Workshop 2021

This virtual workshop helps attendees understand and engage in the legislative process. The only way to change marijuana laws in Texas is through the legislature. The Texas House of Representatives and Senate meet every two years for an intense legislative session that lasts approximately 140 days.

(Downloadable workshop slide deck PDF)

Helpful Links and Resources: (Downloadable PDF)

87th Legislative Session:

• Who Represents Me?
• House Members
• Senate Members
• Legislative Process FlowChart 
• How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
• Legislator Voting Records
• Meeting with Legislators Etiquette
• Advocate Worksheet 
• Crafting Testimony
• Activist Training 
• COVID Restriction Information (Subject to change):
  • State Preservation Board
  • Senate Opening Day Guideline 
  • House Considerations COVID Guidelines  

Medical Cannabis:

• Texas Compassionate Use Program Overview
• Department of Public Safety Website for T.CUP
• Protecting Physicians: Prescribing vs Recommending Cannabis in Texas
• Make the Compassionate Use Program More Inclusive
• Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids

Decriminalization: 

• Current Penalties and Collateral Consequences
• Penalty Reduction Arguments
• American Academy of Pediatrics SUPPORTS Decriminalization
• Racial Disparity in Marijuana Arrests

Retail Market: 

• Marijuana Prohibition: Here are the facts!
• Core Attributes of Adult Access Regulations
• Marijuana Regulation: Impact on Health, Safety, and Economy

Cannabis 101:

• The Endocannabinoid System
• Emerging Clinical Applications For Cannabis & Cannabinoids
• How Cannabis Works One Pager

Federal Policy:

• RESchedule vs DEschedule
• Controlled Substance Act
• Restricting DOJ Funding 
• JAMA Perspectives on Cannabis Research—Barriers and Recommendations
• Research Restraints
• VA Directive 
• Current Federal Policy and Action Alerts 

Hemp: 

• 2018 Farm Bill Analysis 
• Declassification of Hemp in Texas
• Texas Department of Agriculture Hemp Farming Rules 
• Texas Department of State Health Services Consumable Hemp Rules
• Texas District & County Attorneys Assoc. THC Testing Update
• Big Three and AG official statement on prosecuting for hemp possession
• Defunding THC Testing and Protocols 
• Texas Hemp Statutes and Regulations – One Pager

Common Objections:

• Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance
• Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates
• Marijuana Regulation and Crime Rates
• Marijuana Legalization and Impact on the Workplace
• Marijuana Reform: Fear and Facts (Baker Institute at Rice University)
• Is Marijuana a “Gateway Drug?”

MISC: 

• Fact Sheets (NORML)
• Map of State Marijuana Laws (MPP)