With the 2024 election just days away, voters in three Texas cities—Dallas, Lockhart, and Bastrop—will soon decide on local initiatives that could significantly change how marijuana possession and use is handled by law enforcement.
On November 5, each of these cities will vote on ordinances to prevent arrests for those found with up to four ounces of marijuana. Rather than facing arrest, individuals caught possessing no more than four ounces would receive a citation similar to a minor traffic ticket.
Similar measure have already been approved in the cities of San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, Denton and Harker Heights. In all five of these cities, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits seeking to have them overturned. However, judges in Austin and San Marcos have already dismissed the lawsuits for those two cities.
Ground Game Texas (GGT), the group sponsoring these proposals, highlight several goals, including:
- Preventing jail time for low-level marijuana offenses.
- Offering protection for veterans who use marijuana for medical reasons.
- Allowing resources to be redirected to other public safety priorities.
- Reducing legal liabilities for municipalities in police misconduct cases.
GGT emphasizes the broader social impact, noting that “Dallas police issued thousands of citations and made hundreds of arrests for marijuana possession in recent years, disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic communities.” The organization aims to shift funds toward more impactful safety measures rather than marijuana enforcement.
While Dallas is Texas’ third-largest city with a population of about 1.3 million, Lockhart and Bastrop have a combined population of around 25,000 residents.
