Early voting kicked off in Austin, Texas on Monday, giving voters a chance to decide on a local initiative to decriminalize marijuana and ban “no-knock” warrants by police. The Austin City Council approved a resolution to put the reform measure on the local ballot after activists with Ground Game Texas turned in enough signatures to qualify the initiative in January. Now the proposal is officially in voters’ hands, with in-person early voting open until May 3. For those who don’t take advantage of that option, Election Day is on May 7. Here’s the text that voters will see on the ballot for Proposition A: “Shall an initiative ordinance be approved to (1) eliminate enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses and (2) ban the use of “no-knock” warrants by Austin police?” Activists turned in more than 33,000 signatures for the measure—about 10,000 more than required to qualify. On the same day that the initiative was certified, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said that he doesn’t believe people should be incarcerated over low-level marijuana possession. While Austin, as well as other Texas cities like Dallas, have already independently enacted law enforcement policy changes aimed at reducing arrests for cannabis-related offenses by issuing citations and summons, the ordinance would go a step further.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 04/25/2022 08:06:00