Support for legalization of marijuana grows in Texas
Public support for cannabis in the Lone Star State is at an alltime high — 73% of Texas adults support either full legalization or decriminalization of it here, according to a 2024 poll from the Texas Lyceum Association.
The news comes as Texans “have seen limited harm in legalization in other states, and think, ‘What can be the harm in legalizing it here?’ ” said Ty Schepis, a Texas State University professor of clinical psychology with a specialization in substance use. On top of that, Texans are beginning to recognize the benefits of using cannabis to treat certain medical conditions, like symptoms from cancer treatment, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and muscle spasms.
“Texas’ evolving attitude speaks to a nationwide shift in favor of decriminalizing and legalizing cannabis,” Schepis said.
Marijuana certainly doesn’t come without risks. Smoking it can damage your lungs. And according to Newport Academy, which offers teens mental health and addiction treatment, marijuana “has also been shown to increase the likelihood that adolescents will develop schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, particularly if they have other risk factors.”
Nevertheless, people “perceive cannabis to be either a very low-risk or no-risk substance,” Schepis said, particularly when compared with substances like opioids, which carry a myriad of health risks.
Indeed, people all over the nation have shifted their daily habits. An analysis by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that looked at data from 1979 through 2022 showed that self-reported daily cannabis use has surpassed daily alcohol consumption in the United States.
In 2022, the median drinker said they had imbibed on four or five days in the past month, according to the analysis. For marijuana users, it was 15 or 16 days.
“Far more people drink, but high-frequency drinking is less common,” according to the report.