Yee haw! Austin officially decriminalizes marijuana

On Saturday, May 7th, a whopping 85% of Austin residents voted to officially decriminalize marijuana in the Texas state capital.

The new measure Proposition A comes into force immediately.

Proposal A also prevents police officers from executing arrest warrants that allow them to enter a private home unannounced. The issue gained national attention in 2020 when police officers in Louisville, Kentucky shot and killed Breanna Taylor at Taylor’s own home during a warrant operation.

Prop A solidifies existing policies

Both components of Proposal A — decriminalizing marijuana and prohibiting warrants — largely codify existing policies into legislation.

In July 2020, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley released a memo directing officers not to issue subpoenas or arrests for low-level marijuana offenses unless they are related to more serious crimes.

Proposal A consolidates this policy. It prevents officers from charging someone with possession of up to two ounces of marijuana.

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In 2020, following the killing of Breonna Taylor, the Austin City Council limited warrants to situations where an officer’s safety is at risk. In addition, the Council has made it compulsory for both a commander and a judge to sign an arrest warrant.

City officials have signed few such warrants since 2020, according to Austin Police Association president Ken Casaday.

Although cities like Austin, Dallas, and Houston (with Denton likely to be next) have recently changed law enforcement policies to reduce cannabis arrests, the Lone Star State continues to jail thousands of residents for weed.

In 2019, officials reported that police made more than 45,000 arrests for marijuana possession … and 63,000 the year before.

Austin City Limits: Knowing Where Legality Ends

Keep it legal, Texas. Austin’s new 2-ounce decrim law remains in effect only within the city’s legal limits. When stopping, don’t go outside or you could get in real trouble. The current lines, as reported by the City of Austin, are shown in the map below.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson probably has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any author on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled people. He is the co-host of the Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

Check out Max Savage Levenson’s articles

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