Texas State Senator Paul Bettencourt Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, seven two is our time. You're in Houston's Morning News. Yeah,
Willie Nelson never seems to have a problem getting his
hands on the stuff, does he, even though it's not
particularly legal here in the Great Day of Texas. I
guess there's one of the issues that's going to come
up in this legislative session though. State Senator Paul Bettencour
joins us. Good morning, Senator, Good morning, Jimmy. What do

(00:22):
y'all what are you all going to do about cannabis?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well, actually, right now, Jimmy, there's about four thousand licenses
and eight eight eight thousand locations in the state that
can actually sell legal marijuana effectively in a condensed pill form,
and that's probably going to be eliminated. So if you're

(00:48):
you know, if you're a wee cannabis supporter, you're probably
headed back to Colorado for Rocky Mountain High and not
here in Texas.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
What about medical marijuana, sir, I'm a big proponent of
any type.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Of of compassionate use or basically you know, cut use,
which is a important part of people like cannabis oil
for kids that need epilepsy, you know, type of treatment,
and that's not going to change. So the ton of
Governor Patrick's made it really clear that he's going to

(01:23):
try to close that loophole that started, which really is
now when gas stations almost all over the state that
they're basically in effectively a marijuana business at this point
of time.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
And the problem with this stuff is this is these.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Concentrations back to marijuana agents are like twenty times what
will He started on in the nineteen sixties smoking, and
the public policy considerations of that are not positive.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
So we've I.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Don't think there's any going to be any change in
the marijuana laws of the state.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
All right, how do you know that? Were you ever
smoking weed with Willie? Like Toby Keith dead? Never mind?

Speaker 3 (02:08):
No, no, it's okay.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
No, I'm one of the anti smoking kids from you know,
way back.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
I couldn't stand it. So but you know, but but
you do have to get a laugh about it. Now.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
One of the things that I'm not laughing about is
Harris County cannot raise property taxes fifteen percent.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
For no reason. That's going to be one of the
bills that I'm filing.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
We're going to take that loophole out because it's just
preposterous that anybody can raise you know, nearly, I don't know,
four hundred million dollars pick a number right off by
snapping their fingers.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
And you know, Leana voting.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
To raise everybody's taxes. We got a bunch of education
bills coming up.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
A school choice is going to be on.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
The table, regardless of who is the speaker. And please
ask me who the speaker is going to be, and
I will tell you no one.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Knows up here, really you don't. There's no clear favorite
at this point.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
No and and Jimmy, neither side is talking, nobody is
releasing any information.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
So clearly this is going to the floor.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
And regardless of who you may be in favor of
or not, nobody seems to know as of this morning
up here in the Capitol, who.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Is going to be? All right?

Speaker 1 (03:28):
And one last one for you, sir, And this a
little bit kind of reminds me a little bit of
the marijuana argument here. You know, the state is perfectly
fine if you drink yourself drunk. They don't want you
to get high. They're also fine with you buying as
many Texas lottery tickets as you can possibly get your
hands on. But we're not real good about other forms
of gambling. Is that going to change, do you think?

(03:49):
Or are we pretty much where we're at as far
as betting here in the state of Texas well.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
The gambling lobby has apparently hired every single lobbyist in Okay,
so they're making a major push.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Uh. And there's really.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Two different forms of gambling, uh that are under consideration.
One's casino the other one is sports betting.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
The uh you know there are people that have you know,
more affinity for sports betting because they're doing it right now.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
Kind of like prohibition. Uh.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
And uh, the casino gambling is something that obviously, you know,
it's had occurs in Louisiana and Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
We don't need the revenue.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
So normally what happens in states that have adopted this
is that they're a desperate need for revenue for schools.
Pick a number like what a lottery was supposed to be,
but of course it's not. And uh, so that that
will be debated. I think a lot depends on what
happens in the speaker's race, and we'll see whether or
not a bill comes out of the House on.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Gambling hice, sir, Thank you for your time as always,
and you will go down in histories one with a
few politicians who's ever said we don't need the money,
which is which is refreshing to say the least.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, well least you know.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
We have some advantages, you know, starting a session with
a big surplus.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Thanks Jimmy, you bet take care that. State Senator Paul
Bettencore joining US seven twenty seven