As state experimentation with legalization grew, media coverage of marijuana's supposed health benefits increased, and public opinion and demographics shifted, Republicans -- some of whom had touted their hard-line stances as unalterable -- began to soften.
Jason Isaac, a fourth-generation Texan and conservative state representative, has a clear memory of his first mind-expanding encounter with marijuana.
It was January 2015, and the Texas state Capitol building was swarming with lawmakers returning to work.
Two women were sitting on the stairwell opposite his office, waiting for him. He sat down with the pair—his constituents—and heard their stories. One had a child with intractable epilepsy, the other a child with severe autism.
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Alexandra Hutzler ~ Newsweek.com ~