Proposed Texas Marijuana Bill Would Issue Fines Instead of Jail Time

With the Texas Legislature at large, a handful of new bills for the state of Texas have been proposed at the Texas Capitol - one of which would dramatically reduce legal consequences for marijuana possession, according to mySA.

The Bill, HB 81, would drastically reduce the amount of people doing jail time in the lone star state. More specifically, anyone who is caught with an ounce or less of marijuana would be subjected to a $250 fine rather than facing an arrest.

It also wouldn't necessarily go on your criminal record, reports Texas New Blog. The blog also stated that under current Texas law, anyone found possessing two ounces or less of marijuana can be "arrested, given a criminal record, face up to six months in jail and be fined up to $2,000".

A big reason why this bill has been proposed is due to wasted resources - or 'police time'. In a statement made from Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy  by retired Texas District Court Judge John Delaney, KVUE reported:

Each marijuana arrest uses about 2.5 hours of police time. With 60,000-70,000 people arrested in Texas annually, this is a significant amount of police time that could be devoted to patrolling residential neighborhoods and business locations and responding to emergency calls.

Everyone has their personal opinion about constricting or relaxing marijuana policy. Where do you stand?