Texas Marijuana Reform 2015: New TV Ad Compares Pot To Alcohol

As Texas lawmakers consider a bill to soften penalties for marijuana possession, citizens will hear a former detective make the case for decriminalization on TV channels across the state. A marijuana advocacy group is launching a TV ad to run in major markets throughout Texas in the run-up to Thursday’s deadline for House legislators to decide on HB 507. The measure would reduce the penalty for possessing less than 1 ounce of marijuana to a $250 fine. Currently, Texans caught with less than two ounces of marijuana can spend up to six months in jail and pay a fine of $2,000.

Texas is second in the nation for marijuana-related arrests, and blacks are twice as likely to be arrested for possession as whites are, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union. The pending legislation was sponsored by Rep. Joe Moody (D) and approved by the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence last week. If the House does not approve the bill by midnight on Thursday, it will not be passed on to the state Senate. The new advertisement shows Russell Jones, a former Texas police officer and narcotics detective, weighing the dangers of alcohol versus marijuana – a popular comparison among advocates who point out that alcohol is linked to far more harmful behaviors such as accidents and violent crimes. “I know of no instance in my entire career where someone was acting out under the influence of marijuana,” Jones says in the ad. “People under the influence of alcohol are much more problematic. Law enforcement officials have more important things to do with their time than arrest people for marijuana possession.” The ad is sponsored by the Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy with support from the nationwide group called the Marijuana Policy Project. It launches Tuesday and will air on CNN, ESPN and Fox News Channel in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.