Houston CHRONIC(H)le supports something like decrim Loretta at the U.S. Marijuana Party is (as usual) a couple hours ahead of me on this one, but a major Texas newspaper has come out in favor of reduced penalties for minor marijuana possession. Like Chicago's Mayor Daley, editorialists at the Houston Chronicle don't like the "D" word:
Reducing the penalty for tiny amounts of weed is not decriminalization. It's a sensible maneuver that could help relieve the overextended probation system and the crowded local and state jails. It would keep some first-offenders from having their prospects marred by a criminal record.
I suppose institutions like the Chronicle don't want to be perceived as soft on drugs any more than politicians do. Pretty soon smartasses everywhere might start referring to the paper as the Houston CHRONIC(H)le.
Regardless, I have a feeling many similar proposals will be discussed in many different states and municipalities during 2005.
Minor pot decrim is being accepted a possible variation on the drug war; our job as reformers is to make convince legislators and citizens that such proposals won't be a disaster for them, but broader reform would be even better.
UPDATE: Scott of Grits For Breakfast, who knows what's going on in Texas criminal justice news, offers helpful clarifications in the comment section. He notes this is an old proposal which had been endorsed by newspapers in the state before, and that the proposed change literally does not constitute decrim.
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