Texas City Slated To Decriminalize Weed Despite AG Paxton's Lawsuit Against Five Cities Over Amnesty Policies

The organization supporting the initiative to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in Lubbock, Texas has condemned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's decision to sue five cities “for adopting amnesty and non-prosecution policies that violate Texas laws.”

Lubbock Compact criticized Paxton’s lawsuit against Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Denton, and Elgin for decriminalizing marijuana, highlighting it's in a contradiction to the wishes demonstrated by voters, reported The Texas Tribune.

"This was actually on the ballot. People came out and made their voices heard," said Adam Hernandez, communications chair for the organization. "It's extremely authoritarian."

Lubbock, West Texas’ largest city with 264,000 residents, is slated to vote in May to decriminalize local low-level marijuana offenses, making it the seventh city in the Lone Star State, to do so.

The city’s Mayor Tray Payne (R) applauded the group’s efforts. However, he noted that the proposal contradicted state law and was “void and unenforceable.”

AG Paxton said in a press release announcing his legal action that he "will not stand idly by as cities run by pro-crime extremists deliberately violate Texas law and promote the use of illicit drugs that harm our communities."

He intends to prohibit local governments from having any say on the issue.

"This unconstitutional action by municipalities demonstrates why Texas must have a law to ‘follow the law,'" Paxton continued. "It's quite simple: the legislature passes every law after a full debate on the issues, and we don't allow cities the ability to create anarchy by picking and choosing the laws they enforce."

However, Hernandez is hopeful other cities will follow suit and push for decriminalization despite the growing opposition.

"It's about showing state leadership where people's sentiment is in a very real way," Hernandez said. "One would hope they see voters showing up by the tens of thousands, and know that's not a small thing."

He explained the goal is to prevent individuals from landing in jail due to personal marijuana use, adding that full legalization is not what his organization is pursuing.

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