BASTROP, Texas — A Democrat running for the Texas House says she has gathered 600 signatures in support of decriminalizing marijuana in Bastrop.
On Monday, Desiree Venable turned in the signatures at Bastrop City Hall. Venable was supported in the effort by Ground Game Texas, a statewide advocacy group that has led or supported 10 city-based marijuana campaigns in Texas.
The proposed amendment to the city of Bastrop's charter would direct local police to deprioritize arrests and citations for misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses, except in cases involving violent crime and major drug investigations.
"This petition is an example of true democracy and the power we have as community members to implement legislation that directly affects our wants and needs," Venable, who is running for Texas House District 17, said in a statement. "The criminalization of marijuana strips us of our individual freedoms and diminishes our opportunities to start a career or access higher education. The decriminalization of marijuana is a necessary step toward the broader criminal justice reform we so desperately need."
The executive director of Ground Game Texas said the so-called "Bastrop Freedom Act" will "advance racial justice and prevent the waste of scarce public resources."
The city of Bastrop confirmed Venable turned in approximately 624 signatures and said staff are working to verify them.
A similar effort is underway in Lockhart, with advocates announcing in May that they have collected enough signatures to put the issue up for a vote in that city this fall.
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Similar existing measures in other Central Texas cities
Several Central Texas cities have already adopted policies similar to the ones being proposed in Bastrop and Lockhart.
In 2022, voters in Elgin approved a measure that eliminated enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses, but city officials say it hasn't been enforced because it conflicts with state law.
In January 2024, the Texas Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against Elgin over the ordinance, but that suit was resolved through a consent decree in June.
Also last month, the Attorney General's Office filed a motion to appeal a district court's ruling that allowed a similar policy to remain in place in Austin.
The initial lawsuit filed by Paxton's office attempted to stop Austin from deprioritizing enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses – the result of the 2022 approval of the Austin Freedom Act. The suit was dismissed by a district judge.
San Marcos has also passed a similar ordinance and has also been sued by the AG's Office.