The Houston city council approved a ballot referendum on Wednesday. This decision allows voters to weigh in on local law enforcement priorities in November. The measures were placed on the ballot by the advocacy group Ground Game Texas.
Organizers submitted more than 40,000 signatures for the petition. This total exceeded the required number by about 15,000 signatures under city code. Catina Voellinger serves as the executive director of Ground Game Texas.
Voellinger described the effort as a “class struggle campaign” in a statement to Houston Public Media. The council’s approval clears the path for a public vote.
If passed, the petition would set misdemeanor cannabis possession as the “lowest possible enforcement priority” for HPD. Under Texas state law, possessing up to four ounces of cannabis is a misdemeanor. This offense carries a potential jail sentence of up to 1 year and a $4,000 fine.
It would require officers to “knock and announce their presence and wait at least 15 seconds prior to execution” for all search warrants. This language is more stringent than the current executive order issued in 2020.
Currently, Harris County officers can divert individuals from jail to a 4-hour cognitive class. This diversion is paired with a 90-day community supervision program.
Voellinger pointed to an ACLU Texas report finding Black people are more than two times as likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people in the state. She stated, “We’re just bringing equity to the city,” according to Houston Public Media. The group cites these disparities as a primary motivation for the petition.
The push to ban no-knock warrants follows a controversial drug raid on Harding Street. That incident left Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas dead more than seven years ago. Voellinger noted that “Harding Street raids were in the back of our minds when crafting this policy,” she told Houston Public Media.
At least eight other Texas cities have passed local cannabis enforcement reforms. These cities include Austin, Dallas, and Killeen. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits in 2024 against five cities over similar policies.
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