By Voters Approve Charter Amendment
Voters in Houston, Texas approved a ballot measure on Tuesday instructing the police department to deprioritize enforcement of misdemeanor cannabis crimes and ban no-knock warrants, Houston Public Media reports. The measure amends the city charter to “require the Houston Police Department to make enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest law-enforcement priority.”
The charter amendment also works to “prohibit Houston police officers from requesting or executing ‘no-knock’ search warrants,” according to the ballot language. The reforms were placed before voters after the city council approved the measure in September.
The Houston measure is similar to those passed in other Texas cities, including Austin, Dallas, Killeen, and San Marcos. Those cities had previously adopted their own deprioritization policies for low-level cannabis enforcement.
Arrest Rates Spiked Under Whitmire
The reforms come as arrest rates for misdemeanor cannabis possession had spiked nearly 1,200% under Democratic Mayor John Whitmire. During Whitmire’s tenure, Houston police have arrested on average 440 people per year for low-level cannabis possession.
By comparison, there were only about 35 misdemeanor cannabis arrests per year from 2021 to 2023. When the city council approved the ballot measure in September, Whitmire had contended that misdemeanor cannabis possession was “not a priority” of Houston police.
Whitmire has blamed the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting more misdemeanor cannabis possession cases. The mayor’s comments came as the charter amendment moved toward the ballot.
Prosecutors Cite State Law
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the office is bound by state law which prohibits prosecutors’ ability to not charge drug cases. The statement addresses the dispute over who is responsible for the increase in prosecutions.
The charter language directs how the Houston Police Department allocates its enforcement resources for Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Under the amendment, officers are also barred from requesting or executing no-knock search warrants. The measure takes its place alongside the similar reforms already adopted in Austin, Dallas, Killeen, and San Marcos.
