A Texas Democratic candidate for the state House is collecting signatures to put a local marijuana decriminalization initiative on the local ballot in Bastrop this November.
Desiree Venable, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Stan Gerdes (R), said that after just two weeks she’s already collected around 200 of the approximately 400 required signatures to place the cannabis reform measure before voters.
“We’re going to shoot for 600 to be safe,” the candidate told KXAN.
“Decriminalization is a very popular and bipartisan issue that will help our police force prioritize more important criminal investigations, help our community members who are socially and economically negatively impacted by marijuana related charges, and increase voter turnout in the November general election,” she said in a Facebook post on Thursday. “Let’s push through legislation that actually reflects the will of the people.”
Voters in multiple Texas cities have enacted local decriminalization policies, but the movement has had ups and downs.
For example, in a win for advocates, a Texas district court judge last week dismissed a lawsuit from the Republican state attorney general who sought to overturn a local voter-approved marijuana decriminalization initiative in Austin.
That means the cannabis reform measure approved by voters in 2022 remains
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