Law Texas

[momofthegoons]

Texas Activists Say They Collected Enough Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Another City Ballot​

Texas activists announced on Wednesday that they’ve collected more than enough signatures to qualify a marijuana decriminalization initiative for the local ballot in San Marcos.

This is the latest development in an activist-led push that’s seen Austin voters approve the cannabis policy change in the state’s capital last month and signatures submitted to qualify similar decriminalization measures for local ballots in November in three additional cities in recent weeks.

Now, advocates with the progressive group Ground Game Texas, as well as the criminal justice reform organization Mano Amiga, say they’ve collected more than 10,000 signatures to place the issue before San Marcos voters during the upcoming midterm election.

The campaign already pre-verified 4,500 of those signatures, so they’re especially confident it will qualify because that exceeds the 4,182 valid signatures they need to make the cut.



“For too long, San Marcos residents have faced the undue burden of legal troubles, financial hardship, and even incarceration for low-level marijuana offenses,” Julie Oliver, executive director of Ground Game Texas, said in a press release. “Ground Game Texas and Mano Amiga are proud to give voters in San Marcos the opportunity to reform local marijuana laws on the November ballot.”

This is a continuation of an activist-led effort to enact cannabis policy reform one city at a time since there is no process for citizens to put initiatives on the statewide ballot.

Sam Benavides, communications director with Mano Amiga, said that the organization “has been overwhelmed with the amount of community members and local businesses that helped make this the biggest ballot initiative this city has ever seen.”

“We’re thrilled to have something on the ballot that young people will be excited to vote on, thus drastically increasing voter turnout and civic engagement,” Benavides said.

City officials will need to formally authorize that the signatures are valid to ensure that the measure reaches the ballot.

City Councilmember Alyssa Garza also weighed in on the ballot initiative, saying that “clearly, a substantial portion of the San Marcos electorate has spoken and it is now the duty of City Council to afford voters the opportunity to approve it at the ballot box in November.”

“This is true democracy from the ground up, and I’m here for it,” she said.

Austin voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to decriminalize marijuana, in addition to banning no-knock warrants by police, at the local level last month. That was also the product of Ground Game Texas’s campaign work.

Just about a week ago, the group said activists amassed enough signatures to put a decriminalization proposal before voters in Killeen.

Meanwhile, activists recently announced that it has collected enough signatures to place cannabis decriminalization on the November ballot in Denton.

Also, the organization said last week that it “submitted hundreds of signatures to decriminalize marijuana possession in Elgin,” and a City Council vote to formally place it on the local ballot there is scheduled for June 7.



Ground Game Texas and other advocates are also actively working to put marijuana decriminalization on the local ballot in Harker Heights.

While localized, the success of the signature gathering and votes that have taken place so far under the leadership of activists shows a strong desire to move away from marijuana criminalization in the Lone Star state.

On the same day that the Austin reform initiative was certified for ballot access earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said that he doesn’t believe people should be incarcerated over low-level marijuana possession. However, he misstated state statute on decriminalization, suggesting that the policy is already in place.

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 ordinances that Ground Game Texas and other activists have been pursuing go further.

The San Marcos ordinance would make it so police could not issue citations or make arrests for class A and B misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses, with limited exceptions such as if the violation connected to an investigation into a felony-level narcotics case.

Also, the measure says police cannot issue citations for residue or paraphernalia in lieu of a possession charge. And they could not use the odor of cannabis alone as probable cause for a search or seizure.

There is no statewide, citizen-led initiative process that would enable advocates to put an issue like marijuana decriminalization or legalization on the Texas ballot. But at the local level, there are limited cases where activists can leverage home rule laws that allow for policy changes.

A recent poll found that a strong majority of Texans—including most Republicans—support even broader reform to legalize marijuana for adult use. A separate survey released this month found that cannabis legalization is more popular in Texas than the state’s top elected officials and President Joe Biden.

Drug policy reform did advance in the state legislature during last year’s session, but not necessarily at the pace that advocates had hoped to see.

A bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program and another to require a study into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics for military veterans were enacted.

Advocates remain disappointed, however, that lawmakers were unable to pass more expansive cannabis bills—including a decriminalization proposal that cleared the House but saw no action in the Senate.

The House approved a cannabis decriminalization bill in 2019, but it did not advance in the Senate that session.

The Texas Republican Party adopted a platform plank endorsing decriminalization of marijuana possession in 2018.

A Texas poll that was released over the summer found that 60 percent of voters in the state support making cannabis legal “for any use.”

Separately, the state Supreme Court heard testimony in March in a case concerning the state’s ban on manufacturing smokable hemp products—the latest development in a drawn-out legal battle on the policy first proposed and challenged in 2020.

 

[Baron23]

More idiocy brought to you by politicians. My personal view of our professional political class...of any party or organization:

New Texas Republican Party Platform Opposes Marijuana Legalization But Backs Federal Cannabis Rescheduling​

The Texas Republican Party has adopted a platform plank opposing the legalization of marijuana, even as polling shows that voters in the state are supporting the policy change on an increasingly bipartisan basis.

The legalization position was one of several cannabis and drug policy measures taken up by delegates at the party’s biennial state convention over the weekend.

Members also advanced planks opposing harm reduction policies like syringe exchange programs, encouraging “faith-based rehabilitation” for substance misuse, mandating drug testing for welfare recipients and designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

Two modest reforms being supported in the platform, however, are the federal rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to II and reducing regulations on hemp.

But the anti-legalization plank is probably the most notable of the newly adopted measures, and advocates are frustrated about the decision to support a position that runs counter to bipartisan public opinion on the issue.

Beto O’Rourke, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate with a longstanding record of supporting drug policy reform in the Lone Star state and in Congress, criticized the GOP organization over its embrace of restrictive social policies, including cannabis criminalization.




The delegates’ votes on the issues still need to be formally certified by the party, but the expectation is that ongoing cannabis prohibition will, for the time being at least, be the official stance of the Texas GOP. Separate party measures that were adopted at the convention on LGBTQ rights, abortion access and calling into question the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, meanwhile, have become a source of national controversy.

“Just because you don’t like cannabis, or you wouldn’t want your kids or your husband or whoever to use cannabis, that doesn’t mean that prohibition is the right answer,” John Baucum, political director of Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition (RAMP), told Marijuana Moment on Monday.

He added that he feels Republicans voters in Texas wouldn’t necessarily support the idea of the government “locking people away for possession” for cannabis while other, arguably more harmful substances, are legal.




But the state Republican party went along with the plank nonetheless, he said, because “there’s such an emotional argument tied to [reform]. There’s such a misperception.”

The party organization did make waves earlier, in 2018, by adopting a plank in favor of marijuana decriminalization, but that didn’t last long. In 2020, the organization chose not to reaffirm a pro-decriminalization stance, even as more bipartisan legislators in the state moved to stop putting people in jail over low-level cannabis offenses.

Here are the cannabis and drug policy platform planks adopted by the Texas Republican Party this year:

Marijuana Remains Illegal: Oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana and offer opportunities for drug treatment before penalties for its illegal possession, use, or distribution

Cannabis Classification: Congress should remove cannabis from the list of Schedule 1 and move to Schedule 2.

Reduce Business Regulations: We believe that the following businesses should be minimally regulated at all levels… Use of hemp as an agricultural commodity.

Addiction: We oppose legalization and decriminalization of illicit natural and/or illegal synthetic drugs, and we support the exercise of a zero-tolerance policy with maximum penalty for illegal drug manufacturers and distributors. We also oppose any needle exchange programs. Faith-based rehabilitation programs should be considered as a part of an overall rehabilitation program.

We encourage welfare reform in the following areas:.. Requiring all welfare recipients to submit to random drug testing in order to receive benefits.

Designate Drug Cartels as Terrorist Organizations: We strongly support H.R.1700—Drug CartelTerrorist Designation Act—116th Congress (2019-2020), introduced by Rep Chip Roy, which would designate Trans-criminal Crime Organizations (TCO) identified as Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) with the intention of enhancing the policing policy related to Drug Cartels. Furthermore, we request that the State of Texas establish a Counter Terrorism Division that could enforce Anti-Terrorist laws to deter the trafficking of drugs, people, and any other illegal activity across our southern border.

Meanwhile, even Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appeared to embrace simple decriminalization in January, saying “prison and jail is a place for dangerous criminals who may harm others, and small possession of marijuana is not the type of violation that we want to stockpile jails with.”

But he misstated existing policy, suggesting that the legislature already made simple marijuana possession a class C misdemeanor without the threat of jail time. In fact, the law still considered possession of up to two ounces a class B misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to 180 days in jail and a maximum $2,000 fine.

A recent poll found that a strong majority of Texans—including most Republicans—support even broader reform to legalize marijuana for adult use. A separate survey released this month found that cannabis legalization is more popular in Texas than the state’s top elected officials and President Joe Biden.

The Texas House approved a cannabis decriminalization bill in 2019, but it did not advance in the Senate that session despite the state party’s adoption of the earlier reform plank.

At the local level, marijuana reform has moved rapidly as Texas activists have worked to enact reform in cities across the state. Organizers say they expect cannabis decriminalization to be on local ballots this November in five cities: Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen and San Marcos.

Last month, Austin voters approved the marijuana policy change overwhelmingly.

Statewide, drug policy reform did advance somewhat in the legislature during last year’s session, but not necessarily at the pace that advocates had hoped to see.

A bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program and another to require a study into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics for military veterans were enacted.

Advocates remain disappointed, however, that lawmakers were unable to pass more expansive cannabis bills—including a decriminalization proposal that cleared the House but saw no action in the Senate.

Separately, the state Supreme Court heard testimony in March in a case concerning the state’s ban on manufacturing smokable hemp products—the latest development in a drawn-out legal battle on the policy first proposed and challenged in 2020.

 

[momofthegoons]

Texas Military Veterans Push To Protect Delta-8 THC Access And Expand Medical Marijuana Program​

“If they ban these products, it’s going to push a lot of veterans back to the illicit market.”

By Allison P. Erickson, The Texas Tribune

LEANDER—Texas veterans are working to protect the state’s hemp market—and push to expand the state’s medical marijuana program—at the state Capitol during this year’s legislative session.

The veterans and their supporters say they need access to the hemp product known as delta-8 to treat issues such as chronic pain, traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Delta-8 is widely available throughout Texas and, like marijuana, can create a feeling of euphoria.

“So many veterans are using these products and reporting good results,” said Dave Bass, an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom who is diagnosed with PTSD. He’s also a longtime advocate in the legislative push for accessible, affordable THC products.

Most states, including Texas, legalized hemp production following federal changes in 2018 that removed the plant from the list of illegal controlled substances. The hemp plant has a lower amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, than the marijuana plant. THC is the chemical that produces the drug’s “high.”

Delta-8 is different from the more common commercial hemp product cannabidiol, or CBD, which is found in a variety of products including lotions, gummies and even treats for pets. While CBD can create a mild comfortable feeling, it will not produce the same sort of high as delta-8.

State Sen. Charles Perry (R) wants the state to limit access to delta-8—which is commonly sold in edibles and vape pens—and other consumable hemp products because of its psychoactive effects. In his opinion, hemp products with psychotropic effects are already illegal.

“I’m not gonna let a rogue industry group jeopardize or sabotage that,” he said.

The renewed legislative debate comes as several cities across Texas have wrestled with decriminalizing marijuana by banning arrests and citations for carrying small amounts of the substance in most cases. The drug remains illegal at the federal and state level. Texas is one of 29 states that have not legalized recreational marijuana, although 82 percent of Texans support legalization of the drug for medical purposes, according to a poll released Thursday by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.

Texas is home to an estimated 1.5 million veterans. Those with illnesses who are seeking alternatives to traditional medicine should work to update the state’s medical marijuana program, Perry said.

Texas’s marijuana Compassionate Use Program, one of the most conservative in the nation, operates with very few prescribing doctors and has limited eligibility requirements.

The program was established in 2015 for patients with severe epilepsy. As of October, 36,651 Texans were enrolled in the program. Less than half were active patients receiving regular care and medication through the program.

Veteran service organizations have successfully helped to expand the Compassionate Use Program before. In 2019, the Legislature added PTSD to the eligible conditions. And while veterans who spoke to The Texas Tribune said they would welcome further expansion, they said the existing hemp market, compared with the Compassionate Use Program, offers them wider access and more affordable options to similar products like delta-8.

Neither state law nor health department regulations address delta-8. Perry unsuccessfully attempted to put limits on the market during the 2021 legislative session. His bill would have effectively halted the delta-8 market by disallowing synthetically derived THC to be extracted from hemp and used as a concentrate.

During the last legislative session, twin versions of the bill went to both the Senate and the House. It passed the Senate with amendments, but it failed to win over House approval. However, Perry will try again this session with Senate Bill 264, which would prohibit synthetically derived THC and effectively end the delta-8 consumable hemp market across the state.

“Hemp-based products are legal, effective and affordable,” said Mitch Fuller, the national and state legislative chair for the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

At the Leander VFW, veterans and their family members do more than drink at the always-staffed watering hole.

In an inconspicuous corner is a green vending machine. Instead of sodas, snacks or candy, this machine delivers a THC-packed punch in gummies.

Dave Walden, an elected official for the local VFW and a veteran, said he tried nearly 30 prescription drugs from the Department of Veterans Affairs and now only takes a regimen of hemp-derived gummies and a prescription for diabetes. Walden said he and other veterans have been overprescribed pharmaceutical drugs—including highly addictive opioids—with troubling side effects.

“We were zombies,” Walden said. “We were doing all the successful stuff like Valium, Ativan, hydrocodone, gabapentin—not at separate times—daily.”

Bass, 67, retired in Killeen after 25 years in the U.S. Army. He took pills prescribed to him by the Temple VA for six years but struggled with the side effects, he said.

Out of desperation, Bass said he began using cannabis illegally to treat his symptoms in lieu of the medications prescribed to him by the VA. Within a year, Bass said, he stopped taking his VA medications.

Bass uses his experiences to advocate for other veterans through the nonprofit group Texas NORML, a chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Bass is a patient enrolled with the Compassionate Use Program, but because of the regulations, he said, the medication is both more expensive and less effective than drugs in the illicit market or legal alternatives like hemp-derived delta-8.

Bass said Perry’s effort to end the delta-8 market would have terrible unintended consequences.

“If they ban these products, it’s going to push a lot of veterans back to the illicit market,” he said.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune

 

[momofthegoons]

Texas Expands Restrictive Medical Pot Program To Combat Opioid Epidemic​

But don’t expect any Texas stoners to celebrate.

Texas is broadening its restrictive medical cannabis program to include patients fighting chronic pain, the Houston Chronicle reports, in addition to expanding approved THC dosing limits from one percent to 10mg. While that may seem shockingly low to medical patients in states with more liberal cannabis laws, currently, Texas’s medical marijuana law is CBD-only, as it allows for only one percent of THC. The new law, which goes into effect on September 1, 2023, might not win the Lone Star state stoner points, but at the least, it’s a step in the right direction. The original bill tried to cap the prescribed THC dose to 5mg but then amended the bill to a volumetric dose limit of 10 milligrams.

Legal adult-use cannabis in Texas is non-existent, so forget about strolling into a dispensary to grab some dabs anytime soon. The state’s Compassionate-Use Program, or CUP, was initially passed in 2015, limiting medical use of less-than-one-percent cannabis to intractable epilepsy. The list of qualifying conditions was expanded in 2019 and again in 2021 by the Texas Legislature to include autism, cancer, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, multiple sclerosis, and several others.

Now, Texas lawmakers drafted a bill that adds “a condition that causes chronic pain, for which a physician would otherwise prescribe an opioid” to the list. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 Americans lives with chronic pain. Per the newly passed Texas bill, the Department of State Health Services will be allowed to specify which “debilitating medical conditions” qualify for the program.

The bill, HB 1805l, was written by Republican Rep. Stephanie Klick and was approved by the House Public Health Committee with a 10-0 vote Monday, March 20. The passage of HB 1805l comes after further momentum from lawmakers in the state. Earlier in March, Texas lawmakers held a hearing on House Bill 218 from Democrat Rep. Joe Moody that, if passed, would lower the penalties for possession of cannabis and cannabis concentrates.

While Texas cannabis laws, in accordance with their other social policies, such as reproductive rights, are still highly regressive, this new bill does show that Texas is aware of the grave issue of opioid addiction and seeks to tackle it from a harm reduction perspective, by allowing chronic pain patients cannabis. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 106,000 persons in the U.S. died from a drug-involved overdose in 2021, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids. According to The Texas Workforce Commission, there was an 80% increase in synthetic opioid-related deaths reported in Texas in 2021 compared to 2020. In addition, as Benzinga points out, a recent study shows that direct payments from opioid manufacturers to physicians have significantly decreased following the legalization of medical cannabis. And, as a reminder, even the DEA states that no deaths from cannabis overdose have occurred. While recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas, you can pick up some nasty (and fatal) synthetic THC options if you need a deadly reminder of the hypocrisy of strict marijuana laws.

While the cannabis laws in Texas are highly restricted, they do not necessarily match the state’s citizens’ views on the plant. According to a study at the University of Houston, which conducted an online survey of 1,200 Texan adults 18 and older, 4 out of 5 adults said they would support an expanded medical marijuana program. Those surveyed also said they favor decriminalizing marijuana possession, and additionally, two-thirds of them said they would support legalizing recreational adult use. So, while the newly passed bill is a win for chronic pain patients, the state’s lawmakers have much work ahead of them if they wish to address their voter’s needs accurately.

 

[momofthegoons]

Texas House Approves Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana As Opioid Alternative And Replace THC Limit​

The Texas House of Representatives has given initial approval a bill that would allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients as an opioid alternative for chronic pain, bringing it one step closer to final passage in the chamber.

The legislation from Rep. Stephanie Klick (R)—which would also replace the THC cap that was established under the state’s existing limited medical cannabis law—cleared the chamber in a 121-23 vote on second reading Tuesday. It needs to be approved one more time in the House before potentially moving to the Senate.

This vote also comes weeks after a separate House panel unanimously approved a bill to decriminalize cannabis possession in the state while providing a pathway for records expungement.

The medical marijuana expansion legislation, which moved through the House Public Health Committee last month, would replace the one percent THC cap for cannabis oil from with a volumetric dose of 10 milligrams.

It would also expand eligibility for low-THC marijuana products by granting legal access to patients with “a condition that causes chronic pain, for which a physician would otherwise prescribe an opioid.”

Importantly, the bill further stipulates that regulators at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) could approve, through rulemaking, additional debilitating medical conditions to qualify patients for the cannabis program. If enacted, the bill would take effect starting on September 1, 2023.

Advocates at groups like Texas NORML have been encouraging supporters to reach out to their lawmakers and encourage them to approve the reform.

“Passage of this legislation will provide qualified patients with a state-sanctioned option to access a therapy that has proven to offer significant benefits,” Texas NORML Executive Director Jax James said in a press release on Tuesday. “Medical cannabis is an objectively safer alternative to the array of pharmaceutical drugs that it could potentially replace.”

While advocates would like to see the conservative legislature enact more holistic medical cannabis legislation, or end prohibition altogether, the measure does represent a significant expansion, while also recognizing the potential of cannabis as an opioid alternative.

The full Texas House approved a cannabis decriminalization bill in 2019, but it did not advance in the Senate that session. Lawmakers have since been unable to pass additional expansive cannabis bills in recent sessions.

For his part, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said that he doesn’t believe people should be incarcerated over low-level marijuana possession. However, the governor incorrectly suggested last year that lawmakers have already adopted the policy statewide.

House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) said in September that he will work to enact criminal justice reform in the 2023 session, and he again expressed support for lowering penalties for marijuana possession.

The Texas Republican Party adopted a platform plank endorsing decriminalization of marijuana possession in 2018, but that was later rescinded.

A poll released last month found that a majority of Texas voters say that the state’s marijuana laws should be “less strict.”

Also last month, Texas lawmakers filed three bills aimed at expanding research on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. Those measures, if enacted, would build on a modest psychedelics study law enacted last session.

Meanwhile, there’s also been a surge of local action on marijuana issues under home rule laws in Texas over recent years.

Major cities like Austin have already enacted decriminalization locally at the ballot, and voters passed the reform in five other Texas cities this past November.

 

[Baron23]

Texas Senate Leader Blocks Democrat’s Attempt To Let Voters Decide On Marijuana Legalization​

A Texas Democratic senator brought the issue of marijuana legalization to the Senate floor on Thursday, seeking to attach to an unrelated resolution an amendment that would’ve allowed Texans to vote on ending prohibition at the ballot box.

But the symbolic proposal was ultimately shut down. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who presides over the Senate, agreed to another member’s point of order, deeming the cannabis amendment not germane to the broader legislation.

As advocates wait to see what the Senate will do with House-passed bills to decriminalize marijuana and expand the state’s medical cannabis program, the procedural defeat raises some concerns that the anti-legalization presiding officer of the chamber will similarly move to quash more modest reform proposals.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D) did get a chance to speak to his amendment on the floor before it was blocked from consideration, saying it would offer Texans “an opportunity to vote on the legalization of the consumption and production of cannabis.”

The senator’s measure aimed to expand a provision of the resolution’s proposed constitutional amendment that would establish the right of people to engage in farming and horticultural activities on property they own or lease. He sought to add the right of people to “cultivate cannabis for personal and commercial consumption.”

Because the overall resolution would amend the state Constitution, it requires voter approval. In that way, if adopted, the amendment would have effectively given Texans an opportunity to vote on legalization as part of a broader change.


“I’ve studied this issue at great length,” the senator said, adding that legalization would generate billions of dollars of revenue, create tens of thousands of jobs and give people who’ve been criminalized over cannabis a chance to get “back on track.”


“Every state around the state of Texas has legalized cannabis,” he said. “We are losing revenue to those states around us.”


Gutierrez also blasted the Nixon administration, saying the former president was “the most impactful at putting a negative stigma on this issue” and that he ignored the recommendations of a committee he formed that urged federal decriminalization of marijuana. Instead, Nixon “cut a deal with Congress” to place cannabis in Schedule I under federal statute, “and it has not been removed since.”


“Our community wants to have this, and they want to be able to have the decision to vote on this,” the senator said.


Another member then questioned the germaneness of the amendment and raised a point of order, which Patrick said was “well-taken and sustained” without commenting directly on the legalization proposal.

 

[Baron23]

What a fucking asshole. You would think that there would be far more important things for the AG of Texas to focus on....actually, a multitude of more important things.

Texas Attorney General sues Denton over Marijuana decriminalization​

Texas Attorney General Sues Cities Over Marijuana Decriminalization Ordinances.​

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Denton and four other cities — Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, and Elgin — to block their ordinances decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession.


In 2022, voters in the five cities approved policies that would end arrests and citations for possession of less than four ounces of marijuana. An initiative spearheaded by Ground Game Texas — the progressive group that first launched the proposition in Austin — worked with local organizations in the other four cities and succeeded in pushing for similar policies to appear on the ballots.


Paxton said in a Wednesday press release that the cities violated state laws and the Texas constitution concerning marijuana possession and distribution, claiming it to be unlawful for municipalities to adopt ordinances inconsistent with laws enacted by the Texas Legislature.


The ordinances had a high level of support. Denton, home to two universities, had about 71% votes in favor.


The five cities are home-rule cities — jurisdictions that under the Texas constitution are allowed to establish any law or ordinance unless it’s expressly forbidden by state or federal law. However, Paxton argues the Texas Local Government Code forbids them from adopting policies that would result in not fully enforcing drug-related laws. Paxton is seeking to repeal the city’s ordinances and make them enforce state law.


“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.