TEXAS – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is calling on state leaders to start a new chapter with a new attitude about cannabis use.
The state’s top agriculture official penned an editorial Friday that highlights his position, which includes urging Gov. Greg Abbott to make the issue a top priority during the upcoming legislative session.
“In a free society, government should only make something illegal for a powerful reason or set of facts,” Miller wrote. “I believe that cannabis prohibition came from a place of fear, not from medical science or the analysis of social harm. Sadly, the roots of this came from a history of racism, classism, and a large central government with an authoritarian desire to control others.”
Currently in Texas, medical marijuana is only available to people with severe conditions, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer, and more. Patients are able to get a prescription for cannabis, but only if it has less than 0.5% of THC, the chemical that makes people feel high.
According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, 37 states allow medical marijuana while 19 states allow adults to use it for non-medical reasons.
“When four out of five Texans support compassionate use, we need to have state law and state policy reflect that desire,” Miller said. “It is time for all of us, including the Governor, members of the Texas Legislature and others to come together and set aside our political differences to have an honest conversation about cannabis, where we have been, where we are going and what role government should properly play.”
KPRC 2 reached out to Gov. Abbott’s office for a response on Friday night, but did not hear back.