Wendy Davis Shows Support For Legalization Of Medical Marijuana, Decriminalization

Wendy Davis, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor, announced Tuesday that she supports the use of medical marijuana and would consider decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the substance, the Associated Press reported.

"We as a state need to think about the cost of that incarceration and, obviously, the cost to the taxpayers as a consequence of it, and whether we're really solving any problem for the state by virtue of incarcerations for small amounts of marijuana possession," Davis said, according to a transcript of the meeting and confirmed by the Davis campaign, the AP reported.

Davis cited experience from other states who have followed the same path and told editors that Texas should learn from their experiences and should consider revamping drug laws, according to the AP.

During the meeting, Davis also said she's not sure how she would vote if Texas had a referendum on legalizing marijuana like the ones held in Washington and Colorado, the AP reported.

"I want to wait and see what happens in Colorado," Davis said, according to the AP. "Do I have any objections to the fact that citizens might want to legalize marijuana? No, I don't. But I think watching to see how this experiment plays out in other states is probably advisable before I could tell you for sure."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said he supports decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, partially because the state is trying to keep non-violent offenders out of prisons, the AP reported.

Perry, says he opposed the legalization of marijuana would vote to continue to make selling it illegal, according to the AP.

Besides Perry, other Republicans also oppose medical marijuana even though Davis said she would legalize it if voters supported the measure, the AP reported.

"I personally believe that medical marijuana should be allowed for," Davis said, according to the AP. "Certainly as governor I think it's important to be deferential to whether the state of Texas feels that it's ready for that."