The Democratic candidate running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate in next month’s elections says he will work to federally legalize marijuana if he wins the race.
“Like prohibition, bans don’t work,” James Talarico, who currently serves as a sate representative, said in response to a question from The Texas Tribune about how Congress should regulate hemp-derived THC products.
“Texans aren’t going to stop smoking weed because politicians in Austin or D.C. told them not to,” he said. “People will still use THC, but instead of getting it safely from regulated, local small businesses, they’ll get it from the black market, from the drug cartels.
Talarico said that “Texans use THC to lessen anxiety, seniors use it to manage chronic pain, and veterans use it to treat PTSD,” and that bans “make people’s lives harder, not easier.”
“In the Senate, I’ll support legalizing marijuana for adults—regulating and imposing taxes on its sales to support public safety and health programs,” he said.
Talarico’s Republican opponent for the Senate seat, Ken Paxton, did not respond to the Tribune’s questionnaire, but he has filed lawsuits to block several Texas cities from implementing local voter-approved laws to decriminalize marijuana in his capacity as
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