According to a new poll from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston found that the majority of Texans support legalizing marijuana, sports betting, along with sportsbooks and casinos.
"We found strong support for the legalization of destination resort casinos in Texas" said Mark Jones, Rice University political science professor, "About 3/4 of Texans support that."
So the big question is, if there's so much support for all of these items, why haven't they passed?
"In 2023, it actually had sufficient support in the Texas House, as well as the blessing of Governor Abbott" Jones told KTRH, "But it ran afoul at the Texas Senate, along with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, that the cost of gambling outweighed the benefits that they would provide to Texas."
Governor Greg Abbott said again earlier this week that he supports legalized sports gambling in Texas. But Jones says the gambling initiatives and legalizing weed, are all unlikely to pass this session.
It's worth noting, 79% of Texans support legislation that would legalize the sale and use of marijuana in Texas for a wide range of medical purposes with a doctor’s prescription, including 86% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans. And 69% of Texans support legislation that would decriminalize the possession of marijuana for personal use in Texas by those 21 and older (making the penalty similar to a ticket for a minor traffic violation), including 79% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans.
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