Amid President Joe Biden's decision to pardon all simple marijuana possession federal offenses and push for governors nationwide to follow suit, Texas appears not to be backing down.
Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Gov. Greg Abbott, stressed on Thursday the different rules in Texas for going about the process, pointing out that individuals can be pardoned only if they have a recommendation from the state Board of Pardons and Paroles.
"Texas is not in the habit of taking criminal justice advice from the leader of the defund police party and someone who has overseen a criminal justice system run amok with cashless bail and a revolving door for violent criminals," Eze told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Republican governor had previously indicated his openness to rescheduling low-level marijuana crimes in the state, according to the San Antonio Current.
"Marijuana is now a Class C misdemeanor in the state of Texas ... prison and jail is a place for dangerous criminals who may harm others, and small possession of marijuana is not the type of violation that we want to stockpile jails with," Abbott said earlier this year.
The news comes as Biden revealed that he would pardon thousands of cannabis offenders and initiate a review of the drug's classification in the U.S. code.
"Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs," Biden said in a video release.
"Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either," he added.
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