Texas Town Joins Statewide Push To Decriminalize Cannabis With Successful Petition

Desiree Venable, a Democrat running for a seat in the Texas House, turned in 600 signatures on Monday in support of decriminalizing marijuana in the town of Bastrop, which is about 30 miles outside of Austin.

“This petition is an example of true democracy and the power we have as community members to implement legislation that directly affects our wants and needs,” said Venable in a statement, reported KVUE TV. “The criminalization of marijuana strips us of our individual freedoms and diminishes our opportunities to start a career or access higher education. The decriminalization of marijuana is a necessary step toward the broader criminal justice reform we so desperately need.”

Venable is supported by Ground Game Texas, the statewide advocacy group that has led or supported at least 10 city-based marijuana campaigns across the state.

Read Also: Medical Marijuana Initiative In Arkansas Gathers More Than Enough Signatures To Place It On Nov Ballot

Catina Voellinger, executive director of Ground Game Texas said the “Bastrop Freedom Act” will “advance racial justice and prevent the waste of scarce public resources.”

The proposed amendment would direct local police to deprioritize arrests and citations for misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses, except in cases involving violent crime and major drug investigations.

Cannabis Decriminalization Efforts Spreading Across The State

This effort follows a similar move in Dallas, where activists recently submitted nearly 50,000 signatures to place decriminalization on the ballot.

Five other Texas cities – San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, Denton and Austin – have all adopted voter-supported decriminalization policies in recent years, which irked Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton so much that he filed lawsuits against each one of them. In mid-June, a district court dismissed Paxton's case against Austin's voter-approved decriminalization measure that was approved in 2022 by nearly 80% of adults.

The movement however has encountered setbacks. In early May, voters in Lubbock rejected a cannabis reform initiative. Additionally, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has criticized municipal cannabis reform efforts, saying that local entities lack the authority to override state law. He warned that allowing cities to choose their own laws would lead to chaos and an unworkable system, though he has said people should not be jailed for marijuana possession.

By comparison, AG Paxton has stuck with his combative stance, labeling advocates as “pro-crime extremists” and vowing to overrule what he described as “anarchy.”

Meanwhile, an April 2024 poll revealed that the vast majority of Texans, including a plurality of Republicans, back legalization or decriminalization of cannabis.

Now Read:

• Texas Judge Dismisses GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Lawsuit Against Voter-Approved Cannabis Measure, Upholds Austin’s Marijuana Decriminalization Law

Photo courtesy of Visit Bastrop