On Wednesday, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee approved legislation to legalize the buying and selling of marijuana in Texas.

House Bill 2165 passed in the committee by a 5-2 vote just two days after the committee voted in favor to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.  While it is doubtful that recreational marijuana will gain full legalization in the upcoming legislative session, supporters hail this as a large step in the right direction.

Committee chairman Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, said that while he has some reservations about the bill, he supported it so it could move on and be improved.  David Simpson, R-Longview, known to be highly conservative and supported by the Tea Party, cited his religious beliefs in his reasons for sponsoring the bill,

I don't believe that when God made marijuana he made a mistake that government needs to fix.

The bill did need to be changed slightly before the committee would vote on it, specifically assuring that marijuana would still be illegal for minors to consume without parental supervision.

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