Officials in Denton, Texas oppose cannabis decriminalization and ignore the will of voters

In November, a large majority of voters in Denton, Texas, approved a measure to decriminalize petty marijuana offenses. On Tuesday, city officials opposed those findings.

By a majority of 4 to 3, the Denton City Council “voted against passage of the ordinance that would have decriminalized marijuana,” reported CBS News Texas.

According to the broadcaster, more than 30 people, including several Denton police officers, spoke ahead of the vote, saying cases of marijuana possession lead to searches, which helps combat illegal guns and gang activity.

“But proponents of marijuana use say it’s harmless and that there are legitimate and therapeutic uses for both clinical illness and the stresses of modern life,” the network reported.

After the vote, Denton’s mayor “insisted that law enforcement officers still have the freedom not to subpoena or arrest for marijuana possession, but proponents want more assurance that they will not be prosecuted,” according to CBS News Texas.

Tuesday’s vote marks a dramatic reversal from November’s election, when more than 70% of Denton voters approved a proposed regulation to decriminalize drug-related offences.

The ordinance was put to the vote following a vote in Denton City Council last summer.

The Cross Timbers Gazette, a local newspaper, reported in November that under the new ordinance, “Denton police officers will no longer issue tickets or make arrests for possession of small amounts of weed and paraphernalia, and they will no longer stop and search people if they are.” They smell weed.”

The newspaper reported at the time that the “new ordinance will not apply when Denton Police Department investigates crimes, nor will it apply to state and federal agencies, or to the jurisdictions of Texas Woman’s University and the University of North Texas.”

However, there were early signs of gaps in the implementation of the regulation.

In February, NBC reported to DFW that “Denton’s city manager submitted a report during a working session outlining why the ordinance is difficult to implement.”

“I recognize that voters have spoken and I understand that, but we don’t have the authority to implement them because of state laws and the conflicts,” City Administrator Sara Hensley said at the time, as quoted by the news channel.

In her report, Hensley claimed that the new regulation “will be superseded by the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires officers to enforce state law.”

“Cities and police departments in Texas are ‘prohibited from pursuing any policy that does not fully enforce state and federal drug laws,’ and ‘the city manager and the police chief may not otherwise direct,’ the city said,” the city said Channel.

“I don’t have the authority to direct the police chief not to enforce the law,” Hensley said, according to NBC’s DFW.

Texas lawmakers recently signaled a desire to change the state’s marijuana laws.

In March, the Texas House Criminal Courts Committee voted 9-0 on a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of weed.

“I was on a trip with this one. The gist of this bill is really simple, although the wording might be a little confusing,” the bill’s sponsor, House Representative Joseph Moody, said at a hearing in March. “There are tens of thousands of arrests for personal possessions in Texas each year, and these cost our state hundreds of millions of dollars each year, not to mention the countless hours of law enforcement and prosecutor’s time.” They also tag people, mostly young people Criminal records that create lifelong barriers to work, education, housing, and other opportunities. It’s a terrible investment and a terrible result any way you look at it.”