The Houston Chronicle has endorsed Proposition A, a ballot measure that would require Houston police officers to deprioritize low-level misdemeanor marijuana possession cases. The editorial board urged Houstonians to vote yes on the proposition as a stopgap while Texas marijuana laws remain confusing.
The board described Texas marijuana possession laws as poorly functioning and argued that the state Legislature should legalize recreational marijuana with well-crafted regulations.
The Chronicle wrote that until Texas legalizes marijuana, which it should, voters can support Prop A to tell the Houston Police Department to stop wasting time on low-level marijuana possession.
The board also suggested that electing Democratic candidate Vikki Goodwin to lieutenant governor could change the state’s approach.
The editorial argued that no one should want to derail someone’s life over a joint while also clogging jails and diverting police from more important duties.
Prop A would require Houston police officers to put low-level misdemeanor marijuana possession cases low on their to-do list, below more urgent issues. It would not mean officers would not enforce the law, a claim Attorney General Ken Paxton has tried to make in other cities.
The measure would also require the city to conduct a one-time audit of all misdemeanor marijuana enforcement conducted by HPD within the last five years. The city would publish annual reports documenting HPD’s arrests and citations for low-level marijuana possession.
The Chronicle noted that the audit language is not on the ballot but called it perhaps the most important part of the proposal.
The proposition also includes the end of no-knock warrants.
The board cited the 2019 Harding Street raid, which left two people dead and four officers wounded. One officer was convicted of murder and another pleaded guilty to falsifying a police report.
The Chronicle reported that HPD’s use of cite-and-release, which allows officers to treat certain misdemeanors such as marijuana possession almost like a traffic violation, has fallen by 96% since 2020, according to Houston Public Media reporting.
Misdemeanor marijuana arrests by Houston police are way up, the board wrote. A new state law limiting district attorneys’ local discretion has thrown the Harris County DA’s longtime marijuana diversion program into question.
The board said the policy tools previously used by the Harris County district attorney and City Hall to deal with low-level marijuana possession in a smart way no longer seem to be working.
The Chronicle also criticized poorly regulated THC products that have been stinking up sidewalks, buses and even schools.
The editorial concluded with a direct instruction to readers: vote for Prop A, calling it sensible.
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