Dying in Committee, Part 2

Or should we say, dying on the bud? More bills are being left at the committee stage every day in the Lege, including a serious attempt to decriminalize medical marijuana.

What is it? House Bill 1534, sponsored by Reps. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin; Garnet Coleman, D-Houston; and Jim Jackson, R-Carrollton.

What would it do? This bill prevents state law enforcement from taking any criminal, civil, or administrative cases out against providers and users of medi-pot.

Why would it be good? It's not a blanket approval, since it says the physician has to believe that the "benefits of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks," (so no getting some green just because you've got a headache comin' on), but it would mean that doctors prescribing it and patients taking it wouldn't get hounded through the courts.

What's the odds of it passing? Low to zero: Last sighted in the Public Health Committee on Feb. 21, chair Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, didn't let it come up for debate since then. Texans for Medical Marijuana were so steamed (pardon the pun) about the lack of legislative movement that they planned their own "shadow hearing," complete with expert testimony from a doctor, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, and others Monday night at the Legislative Conference Center, deep in the bowels of the Capitol extension.