Deterrence Or Free Will? This Texas City To Vote Against Weed Decriminalization Following Opposition From Gov. Abbott And AG Paxton

Residents of Lubbock, West Texas’ largest city with 264,000 residents, said no to a measure to decriminalize local low-level marijuana offenses. On Saturday, in a 65–35 vote, Lubbock chose not to enact marijuana policy reform.

Adam Hernandez, the Lubbock decriminalization campaign director, attributed the election defeat to low voter turnout.

"We worked hard on it, we had a lot of volunteers," Hernandez told The Texas Tribune. "We just weren't able to get the voter turnout high enough."

Going forward the focus will be on "voter education and voter turnout," he added. The movement was spearheaded by Lubbock Compact, a local advocacy group, which launched the initiative to end some low-level pot arrests after the proposal was previously killed by the City Council.

For the May 4 vote, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) earlier said it’s not the right way to make a change. Instead, he proposes reaching out to lawmakers.

“Local communities such as towns, cities and counties, they don’t have the authority to override state law,” said Abbott, who previously agreed that marijuana possession alone shouldn’t put anyone behind bars. “If they want to see a different law passed, they need to work with their legislators. Let’s legislate to work to make sure that the state, as a state, will pass some of the law.”

To add to the contentious situation, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently sued five Texas cities "for adopting amnesty and non-prosecution policies that violate Texas laws concerning marijuana possession and distribution. "

"I 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," Paxton said in a news release in January.

AG Paxton launched lawsuits against the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton.

The latest development in Texas coincides with the DEA's reclassification proposal transitioning into the public commentary phase.

That said, cannabis rescheduling seems to be right around the corner. If you want to understand what this means for the future of the industry, hear it directly from top executives, investors, and policymakers at the 19th Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, coming to Chicago this Oct. 8-9. Get your tickets now before prices surge by following this link.