Site icon Big Jolly Politics

RAMP goes to Austin

Don Hooper
Don Hooper

I don’t remember when my mind began to change on the marijuana issue; but, I am confident that the Lee family (Ann Lee and Bob Lee) had something to do with it. I was extremely sad to learn of Bob’s recent passing. When my father passed away last year, Ann trimmed the obituary from the newspaper and sent it to me in the mail with an accompanying card. I will never forget her kindness. So, when I learned of Bob’s passing, I knew right then that I needed to travel to Austin with Ann and the RAMP (Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition) advocates to support their Citizen Lobby Day at the state capitol and lobby for changes to marijuana laws.

Ann Lee

I like what is going on with the youth of our party – the future is bright, especially with RAMP. The RAMP leadership organized a bus trip to Austin last week and scheduled meetings with our elected officials in the House and Senate, which created an organized presence at the capitol.

Twenty-two people, including SREC members, precinct chairs, doctors, lawyers, and activists, traveled from Houston with RAMP. I was delighted to see Ann, the co-founder of RAMP, in Austin. Zoe Russell, assistant executive director of RAMP, serves as a spokesman for the group and is extremely articulate when discussing the issues surrounding the decriminalization of marijuana. So, women certainly have a strong presence in the coalition’s leadership.

For many years, Ann has been advocating to elected officials and candidates about the decriminalization of marijuana. Ann’s persistence has certainly paid off. With the Right on Crime movement and the great work of Marc Levin at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, true criminal justice reform is on the horizon and becoming a mainstream concept.

Still, many elected officials and lobbyists are uncomfortable about the topic. Most elected officials sent staffers to meet with the RAMP folks. Some legislators even sent interns, which was disappointing. The good news is that all reports indicate that the staffers are squarely in RAMP’s corner.

One of the topics was House Bill 507, filed by Joe Moody, a democrat from El Paso. Republican Senator Kevin Eltife and Republican Representative Stephanie Klick filed bills relating to the medical use of cannabis. This is not a partisan issue. The so-called war on drugs has proven ineffective in this country. Marijuana wrongfully has a stoner stigma – à la Bob Marley and Bill and Ted. Currently in Texas, possession of less than two ounces of marijuana can be punished up to six months in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000.

These were the facts for fiscal year 2013 in Texas county courts:

So, how does RAMP translate the groundswell of support into action? I believe that Senator Joan Huffman is the key figure in the advance of RAMP’s initiatives. Most of you know that Senator Huffman served Harris County as an Assistant District Attorney for a number of years. Then, she was a well-respected district court judge where she presided over felony cases. In fact, my wife was one of the last prosecutors to work in Senator Huffman’s court prior to her retirement from the bench. I know that the prosecutors look to Senator Huffman to educate her fellow legislators on criminal justice issues; so, her approval of sensible marijuana laws would be invaluable.

On this trip, the RAMP folks met with a staffer in Senator Huffman’s office. As is typical with most staffers, they are good listeners and never reveal their boss’s position unless necessary or obvious. So, with Senator Huffman, there is hope.

The Houston Area Survey addresses the issue in a number of questions. In 2014, the survey asked people if they were for or against making marijuana legally available for medical purposes. The answers were as follows:

In 2010, 2012, and 2014, the survey asked whether individuals in possession of small amounts of illegal drugs should be fined rather than jailed.

2010

2012

2014

Disagree

29.8{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

28.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

25.8{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

Agree

65{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

69.2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

72{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

Didn’t Know

5.2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

2.2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

2.2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}

As we know, this stands in direct contrast with the feelings of the Houston Police Officers’ Union leadership. They used this issue to drag Pat Lykos through the mud and put their guy into office. For some reason, our local politicians, especially Republicans, listen to and are motivated by this labor union. Just last week, when Houston City Councilman Oliver Pennington dared question whether the city has enough money to cover the proposed police contract he was lambasted on the labor union’s Facebook page. Shouldn’t the police union be more concerned about the failure to solve violent crimes and burglaries? And their own officers committing theft? I do not understand why Republican lawmakers care one bit about a labor union; but, I digress.

Now we are looking for a few Patriots to join us.This was a learning experience and I loved the takeaways from the trip. RAMP had given careful analysis to what was working, what wasn’t working, and most importantly, what needed to be done. RAMP has been focused, energized, and realistic about what needs to occur to move the ball. I always tell people that I work with that I am always a lot smarter 24hrs after a meetings occurred than when I am sitting in it. This situation is no different. They have already figured out the importance of the legislative staff who may not be the ones who will vote on your subject matter but are key to getting to the elected officials who will.My mind is made up that decriminalization is the way to go, but how do we get there? There is no question and survey after survey has proven that a greater number of Republicans favor some form of decriminalization combined with legalization for medicinal purposes. The real question is how do we convince our elected officials that their support of these reforms would not be used against them in a primary?

A young man on the trip told a very compelling story. He described immense pain he suffered as the result of a debilitating back injury. He explained that medicinal marijuana was a quality of life issue for him. He did not want to take the prescription painkiller route and end up with an addiction like Rush Limbaugh or Elvis Presley. Additionally, prescription pain medication left him unable to work and non-functioning. Marijuana eased the pain and allowed him to function much better than the other legal alternatives.

While I do not suffer from chronic pain, I will never forget the terrible side effects of prescription pain medication I received after I broke my leg in three places. I quit taking the medication cold turkey just a few days after the surgery and I became very ill. My doctor explained the power of this medication and the necessary weaning process. My situation was temporary and I am lucky; but, it raises important issues. How can we as a society tell someone that they cannot take something that alleviates great pain on a permanent basis? I know from MD Anderson that many of the doctors prefer marijuana not only for pain relief but also as an appetite stimulus.

For now, you can make a difference by joining RAMP and becoming informed about right on crime initiatives. Grover Norquist recently wrote an opinion piece for Time Magazine. The time has come to change the law and policy, Senator Huffman, can you give us some guidance on the issue of criminal justice reform?

The list of Patriots who traveled to Austin on behalf of RAMP:

And of course Bob Lee, who was there with us in spirit!

Patriots All

Exit mobile version