Texas activists claim they have enough signatures for a local decriminalization of marijuana initiative to be placed on the ballot in Lubbock , if the lawmakers do not pass the reform.
The committee that is behind the initiative submitted paperwork to the city secretary for the Freedom Act Lubbock Ordinance in August. On Wednesday, they announced that they have since collected about 8,800 valid signatures. To qualify, they only need approximately 4,800 valid signatures before October 17, and their plan is to submit about 10,000 by that date to ensure success.
Adam Hernandez, Communications Chair for Lubbock compact, stated in a release that was first reported on by Everything Lubbock, “We are very proud of all the volunteers who have been part of our team and of everyone else helping us collect signatures.”
Ground Game Texas, which has been at the forefront of several successful local decriminalization initiatives throughout Texas and is advising the Lubbock initiative, released a Report recently, with data that showed thousands of arrests for cannabis in the city and how Black and Brown people were disproportionately affected by this criminalization, compared to White people, despite similar rates of marijuana use.
The report shows that while Black people make up only eight percent of the population, they are responsible for 29 percent marijuana arrests.
Lubbock Compact will be holding two events next week in order to gather more signatures. The goal is to reach 10,000. Hernandez’s group told voters in the city they still needed more signatures even after reaching their petitioning milestone. “Some will be thrown away for various reasons and we want to ensure we have the required number of valid signatures.”
said that activists also “need to demonstrate how much support there is for this petition”
This is because it’s not a direct initiative ballot process. The signature process is two-part, and the Lubbock City Council will have to first take up the matter if the petition is successful. If the legislators do not decriminalize, the proposal goes to the voters for a vote.
Hernandez told Marijuana Moment that in August, activists “fully expect” lawmakers to vote against the reform due to the “political atmosphere” in the conservative city. However, it would be “great” if it were implemented in a surprising move.
If the initiative passes, the local police will not be able to arrest or cite adults who are in possession of four ounces or less of cannabis unless a court order is issued by a state or federal authority. In the event that this does occur, the initiative states the “City policy shall be enforcement of Class A or Class B misdemeanor cannabis possession as its lowest enforcement priority.”
The measure’s text states that the goal is to “promote health, safety and general welfare for the people of Lubbock.” It also aims to “carefully allocate scarce city resources and reduce the risk of unfair enforcement practices while focusing the city resources on public safety issues of highest priority.”
Lubbock will be the second-largest city in Texas by population to implement the reform. Ground Game Texas led the reform in cities such as Austin and Delton.
The decriminalization proposal that was put before San Antonio voters in May, and which included provisions that would prevent the enforcement of abortion restrictions, was defeated by a large majority.
In certain jurisdictions, where decriminalization was approved by voters, advocates have had to deal with issues.
The city council of Harker Heights overturned their ordinance shortly after the voters approved it, citing concerns that the measure was in conflict with state law. But activists successfully collected signatures to repeal the repeal by collecting for another initiative in May.
Killeen City Council halted the implementation of their local voter-approved marijuana ordinance temporarily, claiming that lawmakers had to address legal concerns before approving it, which they did. Bell County sued the policy in April.
The Texas House of Representatives this session passed a number of bills that would decriminalize cannabis, allow expungements, and give chronic pain patients access to medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids. But the Senate ultimately blocked the bills, which was a common theme in cannabis reform in the conservative legislative body over the past several sessions.
In 2021 and 2019, the House adopted similar proposals for decriminalizing cannabis.
A Texas Democratic Senator brought marijuana legalization up on the Senate floor in May. He was trying to attach an amendment to a resolution that had nothing to do with the issue, allowing Texans the opportunity to vote at the polls to end prohibition. The symbolic proposal was eventually shut down. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), in agreement with another member, agreed that the cannabis amendment was not relevant to the larger legislation.
According to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project survey conducted last year, nearly 3 out of 4 Texas voters (72%) support decriminalizing cannabis. Over half (55%) of respondents said they support a broader legalization. Seventeen percent of respondents said that it should not be legalized at all.
The same institution also showed in March that a majority felt that state marijuana laws should “be less strict.”
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The post Texas activists say they have enough signatures to put marijuana decriminalization on Lubbock ballot, but plan to collect more in final push first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
