Marijuana: Despite Law Allowing Ticketing for Pot Possession, Most Texas Counties Still Arrest

This is a fascist police state.

That's a fact, but there's economic reasons for it too. A misdemeanor citation takes just a few minutes of a police officer's time whereas arresting, booking, report writing and later court appearances (often at time and half pay or compensatory time off --for bass fishing--) really suits the deputies. Then there's the D.A.'s lawyers who need to justify their time and expense by pointing to a number of felony convictions; let's not forget prison guards need the work. Hell's bells the Texas Department of Corrections needs people to work their farms, machine shops...it goes on and on.

Gerald Sutliff
Bakersfield, CA 93304

Police depts get max funding when running at or above capacity. Makes no sense to them to have empty jail beds. Plus who would want to give up all that power and machismo feeling one gets from putting a good for nothing pothead in the slammer?

Although the online newspaper account has now been changed and I'm sure the charges were amended, Madison county is going a step farther. Some poor fool must have tried to swallow a joint, because the initial report said he was charged with "tampering and destruction of evidence". I suppose that is now possession, less than two ounces, $1000 bond.

Sometimes they just have to be creative!

Being from Texas, I AM NOT SURPRISED ONE BIT!!!!
I'll stay in Cali.

California had no problems implementing a ticket citation system for marijuana possession. For that matter, I’ve never heard of any state besides Texas that’s had problems adopting ticketing for low level drug offenses.

But let someone try to change some pointless drug law in Texas, and it’s like they've kicked over an ant hill.

Giordano

Yeah ,and the Texas "ants" are all about job protection.Sooner or later Texas will run into the wall of financial overload, just like the rest of the USA.When your out of funds the prohibition game is over.Only Texans would want to live in Texas.

It is all one big money scheme! That will not change over here,..Im going back home to Cali as soon
as I can!

As the governor of the state of Texas, our current president first learned how to execute the mentally ill, and lie to get what he wanted... the currently $ profitable $ war for him and his political contributors. When I was young, I never would have believed that the American people in general or Texans in particular would allow themselves to be ruled by such thugs, murderers, and hypocrites. I left Texas years ago and have no plans to return. Unfortunately, most of America is almost as bad as Texas.

Texans have become the spineless slaves of their fascist leaders. I cannot understand how the citizens allowed their liberty and their principles to be compromised is such ways. Do Texans really believe that the pain and suffering inflicted by the police is making their world a better place?

When I was a child, there was a huge sign on a building in Pasadena, Texas that proudly proclaimed the honor and duty of the Klu Klux Klan. How was that different from the "serve and protect" propaganda, currently displayed by the thugs who abuse innocent citizens in the name of the drug war. They lie, they kill, and are certainly not accountable to the citizens they murder. I am ashamed of my country and of what it has become.

Texas is awesome! I am proud to say I am a Texan. I feel sorry for all of you from Cali. Have fun with that :]

I was heading to work when I got pulled over for some BS. THey didn't ask to search or anything like that. They found a roach and thats it it almost weighted a gram. Yea I got 1 year probation for that. Pisses me off.,........

Recently I was arrested in the state of texas ( johnson county) and my car towed for possession of marjuana under 2 gms. was booked in jail for a period of 29 hours and released on bond for $1150 to my own expense. The evidence was obtaind against will ( they searchd with out my concent while my vehicle was locked) and all of which was taped and recorded via cop car cam. my questions involve that of the texas state law regarding such an offence on behalf of the arresting officer and any other knowledge or advice that could be offerd in my defence of such an offence in the court., anything that can be offerd will help and much thanks to any person willing to help me fight the injustice of this offence and put the fascist police at bay., please help anyone out there

[email protected]

I have a friend who is a cop..he basically told me that "the truth is what ever we say it is"...

Long story short? Don't get caught.

Can you point me in the right direction of where I need to start to get the Texas Laws regarding marijuana repealed? There has to be a legal way to do this.

I agree. They should just legalize pot. I know people who have been arrested for only having pot and smoking it. I don't know of any deaths from pot, but I know people who have died from drinking. In my opinion legalizing pot would help the economy.

i was arrested for possession of marijuana less than 2 ounces in wilson county, texas. i had, including the weight of the bag, maybe 5 grams of marijuana and a pipe. i wasn't driving and i wasn't smoking. i even had a designated driver to drive me home that night. they arrested me w/o reading me my miranda rights and drove me 40 miles back to floresville to the jail. on a saturday night one day after high school graduation. I'm 22 and on a night with hundreds of underage high school kids partying and drinking and driving around this particular cop felt that my 5 grams of bud was enough to throw me in jail. dont you think they should have higher priorities in this day in age with so much opposition against drunk driving. whats worse: a 17 yr old kid with a truck and a 30 pack? or a polite, cooperative 22 yr old with no prior arrests and about 5 dollars worth of weed which i wasnt even smoking? i'm not the smartest person in the world but i guess i have more common sense than that cop had. don't you think we should have our cops concentrating on the real criminals? vandals, drunk drivers, drug DEALERS, and the list goes on. did you know that in texas in 2007 97% of all marijuana arrests were for possession less than 2 ounces. that comes out to 68, 758 people!

what everyone should be doing is contacting their local Texas county sheriff and urging him to encourage the Texas law enacted in 2007 that gives law enforcement officers the option to issue a citation for the possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana as applicable by state law. Most law enforcement agencies in Texas are refusing to give any citations in fear of "sending the wrong message". What message are they trying to send? because the only thing they are doing is contributing to the overcrowding of jails and the imprisoning of otherwise law abiding citizens. It is estimated that the cost of marijuana arrests for This law nicknamed the marijuana ticket law was specifically enacted to reduce the overcrowding of minor offenders in prisons thus making more space and time available to arrest more serious offenders. This does not change the maximum fine or jail sentence that can be imposed already. All marijuana laws still stand. But you and I can help change that by contacting our local law enforcement officials with the highest power like the police chief or more importantly the county sheriff and asking for their proactive support in issuing citations instead of making pointless arrests for up to 4 ounces of marijuana witch has a maximum fine of up to 4000 dollars.

I love my state, but they need to realize that there are many other things out there that they should be more concerned about. Drunk driving and alcohol related accidents WAAAAAY outnumber Marijuana related incidents. In fact, I have not heard of a single case where Marijuana was the cause of death. Its physically impossible to overdose on Marijuana. You just couldn't smoke enough. Most pot smokers are also smart enough to know that you DON'T mix alcohol and weed smoke. THAT is asking for trouble.

I just don't understand how a state can legalize alcohol when there are so many more dangerous side effects to it than Marijuana. My aunt smoked Marijuana till the day she died as a cancer and aids patient. It not only helped with the pain, but gave her an appetite. I literally watched her waste away and if it had not been for the weed, she would not have lasted as long...

So in other words, this fine state needs to get with the program!!! There are 16 other states out there (for now) that don't see a problem with legalizing it! COME ON, LONE STAR STATE!