Texas, seemingly, is headed for marijuana reform sooner than expected. The state’s Republican Party passed a platform Saturday afternoon supporting major changes in the way the state treats medical marijuana and those found in possession of less than an ounce of pot, signaling that years of harsh prohibition could be over as soon as 2019.

As of this weekend, Texas Republicans officially support the following:

• Making the possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana a civil, rather than criminal, penalty punishable by no more than a $100 fine.
• Improving 2015’s Compassionate Use Act — which allows Texans with intractable epilepsy to purchase and use low-THC cannibidiol oil to treat the condition — so that doctors can “determine the appropriate use of cannabis for certified patients.”
• The federal government moving cannabis from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s drug schedule.

“What this demonstrates is that even the most conservative Texans among us are starting to look at new approaches to cannabis and starting to educate themselves about the fact that prohibition has failed,” says Heather Fazio, coalition coordinator with Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy. “This is a medicine for many people.” [Read more at Dallas Observer]