Critique of an editorial or commentary from a Texas blog

This week's article I am critiquing, titled "Poll: Majority of Texans, half of Republicans favor marijuana legalization", is from the Grits For Breakfast blog.   It addresses Texas' current stance on the "growing" movement (ah ah ah puns are great) of the green leafy substance.

Texas' political makeup is rapidly changing, and topics that were once considered "black and white" are now shifting to shades of gray.  Especially regarding marijuana use.  This article points out that in the most recent poll released, 58% of Texas voters support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol, while only 38% opposed.  The poll even revealed that Texans are more supportive of regulating marijuana like alcohol than Americans as a whole.  To break it down a little bit more by party, Republicans were split more or less equally with 48% supporting and 49% opposing, while Democrats showed a stronger support with 67% supporting and 25% opposing.  As the state continues to transition to a more "purple" state, and as the fear mongering campaigns for marijuana continue to be debunked, I expect this trend to continue.

The writer, Scott Henson, self described as "a former journalist turned opposition researcher/political consultant, public policy researcher and blogger.", writes primarily about the Texas criminal justice system.  He also points out in this article that according to recent statistics, 98% of all marijuana-related arrests in Texas were only for possession.  While during that same period of time, 88% of all motor vehicle thefts and 71% of burglaries, including home invasions, went unsolved by police.  This strongly implies, and he states outright, that marijuana cases have distracted law enforcement from serious crime.  While I don't think the above statistic clearly paints that picture, it certainly is thought provoking, and we can all agree that marijuana prohibition has been failing.

While the state is clearly showing growing support, legislators are still hesitant to put their necks out, so to speak, to push for marijuana regulation/legalization.  They fear public backlash, even if it is now just a minority who will do so.

I find this writer's article compelling, and the poll's data revealing of the changing attitudes of this once super conservative state.  I agree that this could mean a very exciting time for the 84th Texas Legislature in 2015, and look forward to seeing where the state goes from here.