Local Texas advocacy group collects signatures for decriminalization initiative

Ground Game Texas held a press event on May 25 and announced that the group had collected enough signatures to qualify for the November 2022 election. Only 1,000 valid signatures were required, but the group collected over 2,400 signatures for submission.

Founded in 2021, Ground Game Texas seeks to organize and educate Texas communities to fight for issues such as higher minimum wages, Medicaid expansion plans, and legalization of cannabis, to name a few. Part of their mission is to consistently educate voters on these issues throughout the year and avoid taking “time outs.”

Ground Game Texas executive director and co-founder Julie Oliver released a statement about the initiative, dubbed the Killeen Freedom Act of 2022. “In a rapidly growing and thriving community like Killeen, there is no excuse for the continued policing and incarceration of community members for marijuana use,” Oliver said. “After voters approved our similar initiative in Austin last week, we are proud to give Killeen voters an equal opportunity to end marijuana crime enforcement — disproportionately harming diverse communities like Killeen.” If this particular one If the initiative is passed, this particular initiative would decriminalize cannabis in Killeen, a central Texas city north of Austin, which no longer allows police to prosecute Class A or B offenses for cannabis possession.

On May 9, the organization said voters passed Austin Proposition A (also known as the Austin Freedom Act) by an 85.80% yes vote, which decriminalizes cannabis and also bans warrants. “I want to stress that this *wouldn’t have happened* if volunteers working in a ‘free year’ hadn’t grabbed clipboards and taken to the sidewalk to collect the 20,000 signatures needed to vote on it,” Oliver said, according to the Austin Chronicle of the organization’s ongoing advocacy.

Ground Game Texas is also targeting other local cities like Harker Heights, San Marcos and Denton for cannabis decriminalization action, with a total of 10 campaigns the organization is working on.

A new Texas poll reported by The Dallas Morning News in May says 83% of Texans want to legalize medicinal cannabis and 60% want adult use. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has previously announced his support for reducing penalties for possession but not legalization. “Marijuana is now a Class C offense in the state of Texas and one of the things that I believe in — and I believe the state legislature believes — and that is prison, and prison is a place for dangerous criminals who harm others and low marijuana possession is not the type of offense we want prisons to hoard with,” Abbott said in January.

Last June, Abbott House signed Bill 1535 expanding the state’s medicinal cannabis program, which took effect in September 2021. Now, patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or all types of cancer can seek help through the Texas Compassionate Use Program. The program already included qualifying conditions such as intractable epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS, end-stage cancer, autism and seizure disorders.

However, advocates of medicinal cannabis shared their disappointment with the state’s restrictions. Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, expressed the need for more support. “While we’re glad the Compassionate Use Program is expanding, it’s disappointing to see Texas making progress while other states, such as Alabama, are making progress with true medicinal cannabis programs,” Fazio said. “It does so little, and we wish [lawmakers] did more.”