Toxic haterade

Trashing Texas: On the list of America's 25 Greenest Cities, Houston gets thrownaway

It's easy for everyone to be a green fiend on Earth Day. But now that the 24 most eco-hours have come and gone, it's time to find out who's the greenest of them all.

Ever the pioneers of list-making, the esteemed Daily Beast has culled a comprehensive catalog of America's 25 Greenest Cities. It includes some relatively predictable locations around the country, like San Francisco, Seattle and Albuquerque, N.M.

But with inclusions such as Las Vegas and Tucson, Ariz. — cities smack dab in the middle of the desert, the very existence of which wouldn't be possible without a tacit acquiescence that squandering resources is completely legit — we're obligated to call this compilation into question.

Oh, and did we mention that Houston didn't even break into the Beast's top 25?

We now give you full permission to peacefully protest with picket signs constructed from recycled materials.

In sussing out the greenest metropolises with 100,000 inhabitants or more, the Beast made determinations based on four areas of analysis: Whether residents truly thought and behaved green in their daily lives, how many residents recycle, the average weekday trips residents make on public transportation and the percentage of homes heated by solar energy.

In a fifth area, negative points were awarded to cities where people admitted that environmental issues weren't of any interest to them.

Taking all of the above into consideration, Houston got tossed to the curb, like, well, yesterday's trash. As did every major city in Texas, for that matter.

Oh dear. Where do we even begin? Sigh.

Being excluded feels a bit like a slap in the face (OK, so maybe just a swat on the arm, but still), considering the Bayou City was bumped from the list for the likes of notoriously earth-conscious cities like, um, New York and Lafayette, Ind.

We kid you not.

But you know what? No biggie. We're going to take the Beast's biased bulldozing with a grain of organic salt. Fast Company thinks our cowboy-culture-meets-urban-sophistication motif is most excellent, and we're only lovin' on our city more and more by the minute. There's nowhere else to go for Houston but green.

So there.

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no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana