State Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg has proposed putting the question of legalization to Texas voters.
And even less controversial measures, like lowering criminal penalties for marijuana possession, have fallen flat in the Texas Senate.
Dan Patrick, a staunch conservative, at the helm of the upper chamber, it remains unlikely that a legalization bill will make it out when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
But given the state of the economy and more states following the trend to legalize and tax cannabis, they said action was needed.
A report by the American Civil Liberties Union found that, in 2018, Black people in Texas were 2.6 times more likely to be arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession than white people.