Activists march in Fort Worth in support of legalizing marijuana
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — Marijuana laws are once again in the spotlight after President Joe Biden announced pardons for people federally convicted of possessing a small amount of marijuana.
President Biden also said he wanted the U.S. Attorney General and the Health and Human Services Secretary to review how cannabis should be scheduled under federal law.
On Saturday, the Texas Marijuana March and Freedom Festival took place in Burnett Park in downtown Fort Worth.
A few hundred gathered with the goal of making marijuana legal.
"I want to be a part of the movement, it's a battle and a fight that we've been fighting for so long," said event-goer Andrew Luttrell.
"I'd like to see it down to even recreational," said Stoney Kerish, who attended the festival.
At 4:20 p.m., the eventgoers began marching downtown with people chanting, holding signs, and smoking cannabis.
Everyone in the crowd had their reasons for being there.
For Chris Grisolia, it's his son William. He died in 2016 at just 23 years old from a seizure. He didn't have a chance to try medicinal marijuana.
"It would have possibly been life-changing or life-saving for him," said Grisolia. "My goal is simple; I want no other parent to have to wake up every single day and that's the first thought they have because that's what I do. That's the bottom line."
People at the festival said Biden's decision to pardon minor offenses is a small step, but more needs to be done here locally.
"We're super behind, there's a lot of things that we can do with the tax money behind legalizing marijuana," said Payton Jackson, who attended the festival.
In Texas, possession of up to two ounces of marijuana is a misdemeanor that could come with jail time and a $2,000 fine. More than four ounces is a felony punishable by up to two years and prison and a $10,000 fine.
Some lawmakers have raised concerns that decriminalizing marijuana could lead people towards harder drugs and that crime could increase if there's no enforcement.