Issue Position: Marijuana/Opioids

Issue Position

Too much time, money, and resources are being spent enforcing marijuana laws when we should be focusing on the deadly opioid crisis. To take care of our citizens, we need to first change marijuana laws and then revolutionize our approach to opioids.

MARIJUANA: Currently classified as a Schedule 1 drug, putting it on the same level as more dangerous drugs like heroin. The federal government should first reclassify it as a Schedule 2 drug, allowing it to be studied to assess its pros and cons, while also allowing states to make their own decisions on legalization and medicinal use.

If marijuana possession is legalized or reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, it will help millions of people currently incarcerated unnecessarily or crippled by felon status. Felons have trouble getting jobs, finding housing, and cannot buy guns. After release from prison, they are more likely to commit future crimes because of the hardships and stigma, even if possession of marijuana had been their only prior crime. We should not be keeping good people out of society for something as small as marijuana.

Texas currently has about 150,00 inmates at an average cost of $20,000 each per year. Thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession could be freed, saving millions of dollars as well as law enforcement manpower and resources.

Freeing up money and resources from marijuana will allow us to shift our focus to cracking down on the more dangerous opioid crisis.

We need to stop the flow of illegal opioids into our communities, but fighting a drug war simply is not enough to solve the problem. Americans who have become addicted to opioids need help. It is time to focus on harm reduction and change the way we treat addicts. We can, and should, help them heal and return to being productive members of society.

First Responder Medications: Lives can be saved by giving first-responders (firefighters, EMTs, nurses) access to non-addictive medications that reverse overdose, such as naloxone. States and cities that have expanded access have seen dramatic reductions in overdose deaths.

Doctors/Pharmacies: We need to work with doctors and pharmacies to stop the over-prescription of addictive painkillers. Responsible businesses have already started implementing successful programs that encourage pharmacists to discuss dosages of dangerous medications with doctors before fulfilling prescriptions. We need to make this universal.

Needle Exchange: Needle exchange programs do not increase illicit drug use and are effective in reducing the spread of diseases, such as HIV.

Treatment Centers: More lives can be saved by investing in treatment centers where addicts can seek evaluation, counseling, detoxification, or medication.

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