Texas activists have turned in nearly 50,000 signatures to put a local marijuana decriminalization initiative on the ballot in Dallas this November.
The campaign Ground Game Texas, which has led multiple local cannabis reform measures in cities across the state, announced on Monday that they were submitting the signatures to City Hall. They first launched the signature drive in January.
If the petitions are verified and voters approve the measure, possession of up to four ounces of marijuana would be decriminalized in Dallas, which is the third largest city in Texas by population.
While activists say they have collected substantially more than the 35,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot, some members of the City Council are hoping to streamline the process by acting legislatively, with plans to introduce the proposal at a hearing on Wednesday. Councilmember Chad West said he will be sponsoring the measure, in part, to save the city money that’s associated with verifying signatures in the ballot initiative process.
Either way it is potentially enacted, the Dallas measure would prevent police from making arrests or issuing citations for Class A or B misdemeanor cannabis possession offenses, unless it’s part of a high priority
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
