{"id":75720,"date":"2024-05-29T10:28:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T18:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/05\/29\/texas-activists-turn-in-signatures-to-put-marijuana-decriminalization-on-lockhart-ballot-this-november\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T12:45:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T20:45:41","slug":"texas-activists-turn-in-signatures-to-put-marijuana-decriminalization-on-lockhart-ballot-this-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/05\/29\/texas-activists-turn-in-signatures-to-put-marijuana-decriminalization-on-lockhart-ballot-this-november\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Lockhart Ballot This November"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Activists in Lockhart, Texas have turned in what they say are more than enough signatures to qualify a marijuana decriminalization initiative for the local ballot this November.<\/p>\n

Elle Cross, campaign director for Mano Amiga\u2019s Lockhart campaign, said at a press conference on Wednesday that advocates are submitting more than 900 signatures for the cannabis decriminalization proposal with the city secretary\u2019s office. That\u2019s roughly double the required petitions to qualify for ballot placement.<\/p>\n

This comes weeks after voters in Lubbock rejected a separate cannabis reform initiative<\/a>, which followed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) filing lawsuits against five other Texas cities with voter-approved decriminalization laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lockhart Commissioner Dyral Thomas said the local reform proposal would take a \u201csmall step on a better path\u201d for the community, noting racial disparities in cannabis criminalization and the benefits of freeing up law enforcement resources to address more serious crimes.<\/p>\n

The purpose section of the initiative similarly says that the objective of decriminalization is \u201ccarefully allocating scarce city resources, reducing the risk of discriminatory enforcement practices, and focusing city resources on the highest priority public safety concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Mano Amiga (@manoamigasm)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cUnless and until a binding act of a state or federal court requires otherwise, the Lockhart Police Department shall not make any arrest or issue any citation for Class A or Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession, except in the limited cases described by this policy,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

It also stipulates that, if the reform is challenge by state or federal authorities, it would simply become the default policy of the city to make marijuana possession among the jurisdiction\u2019s lowest law enforcement priorities.<\/p>\n

Under the measure, the city would further be barred from conducting THC testing of cannabis products to determine whether it meets the definition of illegal marijuana or legal hemp.<\/p>\n

\u201cLockhart police shall not consider the odor of marijuana or hemp to constitute probable cause for any search or seizure, except in the limited circumstances of a police investigation pursuant to Section 12.05,\u201d another provision says.<\/p>\n

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An incredibly proud moment as we were able to join the Lockhart Freedom Act team to turn in the required verified signatures to Lockhart City Hall to put marijuana decriminalization on the November ballot. We are dedicated to decriminalizing cannabis across the state of Texas,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/kg4q1W6L1x<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Texas Cannabis Collective (@txcannaco) May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has separately lashed out against the municipal cannabis reform efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal communities such as towns, cities and counties, they don\u2019t have the authority to override state law,\u201d\u00a0the governor said late last month<\/a>. \u201cIf they want to see a different law passed, they need to work with their legislators. Let\u2019s legislate to work to make sure that the state, as a state, will pass some of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it would lead to \u201cchaos\u201d and create an \u201cunworkable system\u201d for voters in individual cities to be \u201cpicking and choosing\u201d the laws they want abide by under state statute.<\/p>\n

Abbott has previously said that he\u00a0doesn\u2019t believe people should be in jail over marijuana possession<\/a>\u2014although he mistakenly suggested at the time that Texas had already enacted a decriminalization policy to that end.<\/p>\n

Paxton, the state attorney general, used more inflammatory rhetoric when his office announced in January that it was suing five cities over local laws decriminalizing marijuana that voters approved, vowing to overrule the \u201canarchy\u201d of \u201cpro-crime extremists\u201d who advocated for the reform.<\/p>\n

He filed lawsuits against the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton. The litigation is still pending, but advocates have moved ahead with their local reform effort nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Activists with Ground Game Texas and Texas Cannabis Collective have also been collecting signatures to place a local marijuana decriminalization initiative on the November ballot<\/a> in Dallas.<\/p>\n

In general, the measures that have already been enacted in\u00a0Austin<\/a>,\u00a0Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen and San Marcos<\/a>\u00a0prevent police from making arrests or issuing citations for Class A or B misdemeanor cannabis possession offenses, unless it\u2019s part of a high priority felony\u00a0 investigation for narcotics or violent crime.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shortly after voters in Harker Heights approved their measure, the city council overturned the ordinance over concerns that it conflicted with state law. But\u00a0activists collected signatures for another initiative<\/a> and successfully repealed the repeal last year\u2014though officials have still refused to move forward with implementing the will of voters.<\/p>\n

In November, Ground Game released a report that\u00a0looked at the impacts of the marijuana reform laws<\/a>. It found that the measures will keep hundreds of people out of jail, even as they have led to blowback from law enforcement in some cities. The initiatives have also driven voter turnout by being on the ballot, the report said.<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0cannabis decriminalization measure that went before voters in San Antonio<\/a>\u00a0last May was overwhelmingly defeated, but that proposal also included unrelated provisions to prevent enforcement of abortion restrictions.<\/p>\n

At the state-level last year, the Texas House of Representatives passed a series of bills to decriminalize marijuana, facilitate expungements and allow chronic pain patients to access medical cannabis as an opioid alternative. But\u00a0they ultimately stalled out in the Senate<\/a>, which has been a theme for cannabis reform measures in the conservative legislature over several sessions.<\/p>\n

The House\u00a0passed similar cannabis decriminalization proposals<\/a>\u00a0during the past two legislative sessions, in 2021 and 2019.<\/p>\n

Separately, a Texas Democratic senator brought the issue of marijuana legalization to the Senate floor last May, seeking to attach to an unrelated resolution an amendment that would\u2019ve allowed Texans to vote on ending prohibition at the ballot box. But\u00a0the symbolic proposal was ultimately shut down<\/a>. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) agreed to another member\u2019s point of order, deeming the cannabis amendment not germane to the broader legislation.<\/p>\n

Three in five Texans, including a plurality of Republicans, support legalizing marijuana, according to a survey released this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another poll released in 2022 found that nearly\u00a0three in four Texas voters (72 percent) support decriminalizing marijuana<\/a>. More than half (55 percent), meanwhile, said they\u2019re in favor of broader legalization. Seventeen percent said it shouldn\u2019t be legal at all.<\/p>\n

Last March, the same institution similarly showed that a majority of Texas voters feel that\u00a0the state\u2019s marijuana laws should be \u201cless strict.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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Advocates Divided On New Hampshire Marijuana Legalization Bill As Senate-Amended Measure Gets Final House Vote On Thursday<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Texas Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Lockhart Ballot This November<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Texas Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Lockhart Ballot This November<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Activists in Lockhart, Texas have turned in what they say are more than enough signatures to qualify a marijuana decriminalization initiative for the local ballot this November. Elle Cross, campaign director for Mano Amiga\u2019s Lockhart campaign, said at a press conference on Wednesday that advocates are submitting more than 900Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":75721,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75720"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75722,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75720\/revisions\/75722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}