Thor Benson / Cannabis News Box Contributor

Andrew White, a Democratic candidate for governor in Texas, recently said he supports decriminalizing cannabis possession and expunging the records of those who have been caught with cannabis. That’s a pretty bold proposal for a candidate in Texas, and it may be a sign the tides are turning in that region.

“An April Quinnipiac University poll shows Texas voters, like voters in the rest of the country, support marijuana legalization by an almost 2-1 ratio (61 percent of Texas voters support marijuana legalization and 34 percent oppose),” Jolene Forman, a staff attorney for the Drug Policy Alliance, told Cannabis News Box.

Forman said Republicans and voters who are over the age of 65 are the only groups in Texas that don’t support cannabis legalization by a majority. This is indeed how it’s starting to look in nearly every state across the country, which shows how far legalization efforts have come.

“Marijuana law reform is no longer a fringe issue. Almost two-thirds of Americans, across political parties and demographics, support marijuana legalization. Even nearly two-thirds of Texans support legalization,” Forman said. “We have learned from the experiments in the first few states to legalize marijuana that legalization and regulation is working. States are effectively controlling public health and safety through strict marijuana regulations. They are saving money by dramatically reducing marijuana arrests and collecting millions in tax revenues that are being invested in state programs.”

White’s idea of expunging the criminal records of those who have been caught with cannabis in the past is an important step in any state, as it is deeply unfair to continue to punish those who were caught with cannabis before it was eventually legalized. Having a criminal record can prevent people from getting loans, jobs and many other important things.

“It is important to for Texas to legalize for a couple of reasons. First, a huge number of Texans who could benefit from medical marijuana are left out of the state’s program, so legalization would help these ill people access necessary medication,” Forman said. “Second, marijuana legalization in Texas would demonstrate to other conservative, southern states that they can follow.”

California has the highest population in America and has now legalized, and Texas has the second highest population. If Texas were to follow California’s lead, that would be a major win for the legalization movement.