U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector have seized more than $5 million worth of marijuana in multiple seizures since the first of the month.

The largest seizure occurred Wednesday morning near La Casita when agents observed footprints of several people walking north from the Rio Grande. The agents followed the trail and discovered several bundles of marijuana abandoned in the brush. With the help of a K-9, the agents were able to locate 11 more bundles. The marijuana had a total weight of more than 1,000 pounds and was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Did God give us marijuana for a reason?

It sounds like a stoner question, but a conservative Christian lawmaker in Texas is arguing that since God made cannabis, the government should regulate it like any other plant.

State Representative David Simpson of Longview introduced a bill Monday that would remove any mention of marijuana from Texas law, and set the plant to be regulated like tea or tomatoes. If Simpson’s bill passed, it would place sales and property taxes on buyers and growers, respectively, but it wouldn't be marked up with a so-called sin tax.

“The plant is good. God made it, and it wasn’t a mistake that government needs to fix.”

State Representative David Simpson

Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview) filed a bill Monday to legalize marijuana in Texas.

If passed, HB 2165 would repeal offenses related to possessing, selling and growing marijuana in Texas. The bill retracts all mentions of the word “marihuana” mentioned in the current provisions of the law.

In a statement, Simpson said, “God did not make a mistake when he made marijuana.” According to Simpson, the government should not have a role in marijuana regulation.

In Texas, a conservative lawmaker filed a bill to completely deregulate marijuana in the Lone Star State Monday, proposing to strike any mention of the psychoactive plant from state law.

"Everything that God made is good, even marijuana" said state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, who filed the bill. "The conservative thought is that government doesn't need to fix something that God made good."

The 24-page bill begins: "The following provisions are repealed," then lists dozens of Texas statutes related to marijuana. If the Legislature were to approve the bill, pot in Texas would be regulated like any common crop.

In a press release, Simpson said he supported regulating marijuana like the state regulates "tomatoes, jalapeños or coffee."

Last November, Alaska became the first red state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Now a conservative state legislator is hoping Texas will follow suit, filing a bill to repeal Texas’ pot prohibition—in order to honor God. From the Houston Chronicle:

Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, on Jan. 11, 2011, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Yesterday was Texas Independence Day. It was fitting that Rep. David Simpson used the occasion to file a sweeping bill (HB 2165) that would end marijuana prohibition in Texas. I posted an item yesterday about his “Christian case for drug law reform.” Little did I know that this Longview Republican had put a radical pot bill in the hopper.