Breaking: Marijuana accidentally made legal in Texas

[philip964]

More to follow shortly. Chemical compounds are chemical compounds. Has something to do with new Hemp law.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/some ... aw-da-says

Found this so far.

Seems to have to do with not being able to prove it’s the legal product hemp and not the illegal product marijuana.

Labs are unable to test consentration of THC with a sample on equipment they now have. Can send it out but it costs $200-$400 to test. Will take a year or so to get the new equipment calibrated and certified. New equipment very expensive and has to be purchased first.

So DA’s are dropping small cases. So still illegal but not currently going to prosecute.

[WildBill]

If I understand what they are saying this is very disturbing.
I hope that I am wrong, but the way I read it is that someone could be arrested for having a kilogram of Italian Seasoning that had a
few grams of marijuana mixed in with it because the test would show "positive" for THC, but couldn't tell how much.

[mayor]

unintended consequences.

[03Lightningrocks]

If I understand what they are saying this is very disturbing.
I hope that I am wrong, but the way I read it is that someone could be arrested for having a kilogram of Italian Seasoning that had a
few grams of marijuana mixed in with it because the test would show "positive" for THC, but couldn't tell how much.

Funny thing is that they are only required to test a part(very small) sample of the marijuana, so if they happen to get a sample of the actual marijuana for the test, it sounds like the entire amount is assumed to be the proper concentration?

That was how it has been. It still is for all other illegal drugs. Purity has never been the issue. For instance a person arrested for having a one pound container of talcum powder with a minute amount of actual cocaine in it would be charged with possession of one pound of cocaine.

It reads like the actual concentration of THC in the hemp now has to be tested in a marijuana arrest.

[WildBill]

If I understand what they are saying this is very disturbing.
I hope that I am wrong, but the way I read it is that someone could be arrested for having a kilogram of Italian Seasoning that had a
few grams of marijuana mixed in with it because the test would show "positive" for THC, but couldn't tell how much.

Funny thing is that they are only required to test a part(very small) sample of the marijuana, so if they happen to get a sample of the actual marijuana for the test, it sounds like the entire amount is assumed to be the proper concentration?

That was how it has been. It still is for all other illegal drugs. Purity has never been the issue. For instance a person arrested for having a one pound container of talcum powder with a minute amount of actual cocaine in it would be charged with possession of one pound of cocaine.

It reads like the actual concentration of THC in the hemp now has to be tested in a marijuana arrest.

Not testing and documenting the purity can lead to all kinds of problems with evidence tampering and diversion of drugs back onto the street.
Also cross contamination from one sample to another could result in wrong test results. I am really surprised that Texas labs are not already equipped to
perform this analysis.

Funny thing is that they are only required to test a part(very small) sample of the marijuana, so if they happen to get a sample of the actual marijuana
for the test, it sounds like the entire amount is assumed to be the proper concentration? It reads like the actual concentration of THC in the hemp now
has to be tested in a marijuana arrest.

Exactly!

[03Lightningrocks]

I am not a lawyer but I believe the purity can matter on a federal level charge.

[WildBill]

I am not a lawyer but I believe the purity can matter on a federal level charge.

I would hope so, but I am not a lawyer either, so I don't know.

[philip964]

ole' phillip sounds pretty excited about this

I’ve been around it since college days. But I never smoked anything, but maybe two cigars.

I’ve wanted the Republicans to be out ahead on this issue.
And by accident they are. Or this could have been part of a big plan and they got snookered.

Right now according to the article they test for the presence of THC. Yes or no. The law now allows THC to be present but only in small consentrations. They can’t test for that yet, with out sending it to private labs for an expensive test.

[03Lightningrocks]

If we are reading it correctly, it could result in criminal possession charges for small amounts of marijuana to be a thing of the past. I imagine on larger quantities that are considered distribution they will have to pay the money for testing concentration levels.

[philip964]

ole' phillip sounds pretty excited about this

Just to remember:

The Country, the Saint, the King and the Prince, one l.

The last name two ll’s.

[TexasJohnBoy]

It should be completely legal anyways. Just like alcohol.

[apostate]

It should be completely legal anyways. Just like alcohol.

And machine guns.

[TexasJohnBoy]

It should be completely legal anyways. Just like alcohol.

And machine guns.

Preach.

[The Annoyed Man]

It should be completely legal anyways. Just like alcohol.

And machine guns.

Preach.

Rightly or wrongly, I think it’s just a matter of time before it’s legal here. I don’t smoke (or in any other way consume) marijuana or its products, but I think it’s a losing battle that uses up way too much law enforcement resources. My main objection to its use is that is is currently illegal, and I think that obedience to the rule of law has value. But I don’t think it’s morally any worse, or any more impactful on society than the abuse of alcohol. If it were legal, maybe the cartels would stop trying to run it across the border. I notice that tequila smuggling isn’t a growth industry, because it’s less risky, cheaper, and easier to just run down to the neighborhood liquor store and buy some there.

One of the mistakes that Colorado made in implementing their new weed law was in failing to first develop a blood testing system or roadside sobriety tester like a breathalyzer that would return quick and usable results for THC levels in impaired motorists. When the new law went into effect, Colorado’s traffic fatality numbers went up some. I don’t remember how much exactly, but it was measurable, and it correlated to the implementation of the new law. I don’t want people driving stoned, any more than I want them driving drunk. If Texas improves its testing procedures, it seems to me to remove a barrier to decriminalization.