8 April 20–26, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents What would change, however, is that more Texans than ever before could qualify for the program under the bill, Zamhariri said. On top of including chronic pain as a qualifying condition, Klick’s bill would also give the Texas Department of State Health Services the authority to add even more qual- ifying conditions to the program. The bill ini- tially called for an increase to the THC cap in medication to 5%. But after it was heard in the House Public Health Committee, the THC limit was changed to be volumetric like many other medications, with the cap being set at 10 milligrams per dose. “Chronic pain is one of the biggest components,” Zamhariri said. “If that language makes it all the way to passage, it broadly opens up the program to millions of Texans. … My only concern is any concessions that may have to be made in the Senate, which is where, historically, cannabis bills get more acutely impacted.” Zamhariri said the TCUP medication would also be stronger under Klick’s bill, but it still leaves much to be desired in its cur- rent form. “The strength of meds will also increase; however, people will likely be dis- appointed in that inhalants are unlikely to be included through this legislation,” he said. “In the end, it is another big step in the right direction but still well behind our neighbors New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas.” New Mexico legalized recreational mari- juana in 2021; Oklahoma has had an expansive medical marijuana program since 2018; and medical marijuana patients in Arkansas are al- lowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis. If enacted, HB 1805 would take effect on Sept. 1. ▼ SEX CRIMES SECRET ASSAULT ANTI-’STEALTHING’ BILL CRACKS DOWN ON NONCONSENSUAL CONDOM-REMOVERS. BY SIMONE CARTER S tealthing, the nonconsensual removal of a condom, is a criminal offense in Texas, but many advocates say that more needs to be done to help victims. Now, one North Texas lawmaker is working to carve out a legal avenue for stealthing survivors to sue for relief and damages in civil court. House Bill 5179 or the “Texas Anti- Stealthing Act” by state Rep. Mihaela E. Plesa was heard recently by the House Com- mittee on Judiciary and Civil Jurispru- dence. Plesa, a Collin County Democrat, laid out some alarming statistics during the hearing: Around 1 in 3 women globally have been victims of stealthing, she said, and 1 in 5 men can say the same. Plesa noted that the notion of consent suffers from misconceptions. “It is not a free-for-all path to do what- ever you please,” she said. “Consent is freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic and specific.” Stealthing isn’t new by any means, but some media outlets have described it as a sort of “disturbing trend.” Survivors and ad- vocates are working to underscore that the act of stealthing is, in fact, sexual assault. Plesa highlighted that there’s an online community built around stealthing where offenders can learn how to commit the as- sault and get encouragement and tips. “They assume that it is a natural right for men to dominate and inseminate women, and that this right is so inherent that consent and free will is irrelevant,” she said at the hearing. “These offenders are brazen, they’re emboldened, they have not faced any repercussions or punishment. No one has stood up to them or dropped the swift ham- mer of justice upon them.” Plesa shared the story of a young college student from her district named Lily. The way she tells it, Lily had been in a relationship with someone since high school but wanted to wait until marriage to have sex. The boy- friend continued to pressure Lily until she eventually relented, and she demanded that he use a condom. He agreed, but then Lily no- ticed that he’d removed the condom at some point without her consent. Afterward, Plesa said, Lily grappled with feelings of being violated, and her boyfriend became increasingly aggressive and began to commit “routine” acts of sexual violence. “That’s what I want to impress upon you today: Stealthing is a form of assault,” Plesa continued. “In the plainest terms, it is one person forcing another person to have un- protected sex. It is a tactic used by abusers to make decisions over the victim’s body, to transmit disease or to coerce pregnancy. For abusers, it’s about control and denying the victim’s ability to make decisions. It’s about depriving freedom.” Alberto Ortega/Getty Images The last two bills that expanded the Texas Compassionate Use Program were also authored by Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Fort Worth Republican. Unfair Park from p6 >> p10
