The Dallas, Texas Police Department is instructing officers to stop arresting or citing people for possession of up to four ounces of marijuana, in accordance with a voter-approved ballot initiative.
In an internal memo, Dallas Interim Police Chief Michael Igo also clarified that officers cannot “consider the odor of marijuana as probable cause for search and seizure, except as part of a violent felony or high priority narcotics felony investigations.”
That’s because voters last November passed a measure, Proposition R, that locally decriminalized cannabis. Previously, DPD had a policy not to go after people over up to two ounces of marijuana, except they were obliged to confiscate the product.
That policy is now “obsolete,” the memo, first reported by WFAA, says.
“Regardless of your thoughts and/or opinions regarding the passing of this amendment, we must remain focused on our duties and obligations to the Dallas Police Department and the residents of the City of Dallas,” Igo said. “It is crucial to maintain professionalism and composure, as you always represent this exceptional Police Department.”
Weeks after Dallas approved Proposition R—one in a series of local reform victories during this latest election—state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) filed a lawsuit seeking to
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