Houston, TX: Voters in the city of Houston (population 2.4 million) overwhelmingly approved a municipal ballot measure (Proposition A: the Houston Freedom Act) on Election Day instructing the Houston Police Department to “make the enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest possible enforcement priority.”
Voters’ decision came just months after data became public showing a nearly 1,200 percent rise in marijuana possession arrests citywide. State law defines marijuana possession of two ounces or less as a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a $2,000 fine, and a criminal record.
Texas leads all US states in annual marijuana-related arrests.
In recent years, voters in several other Texas cities – including Austin, Dallas, and San Marcos – approved similar local ballot measures. However, most of those ordinances were either struck down by the courts or never implemented following legal challenges launched by outgoing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Additional information on Election Day results is available from NORML’s Election Central. More information is also available from Ground Game Texas.