On Tuesday, July 19, Denton City Council will be holding a public hearing on cannabis decriminalization in the city of Denton. The ordinance, as written:
- Eliminates all citations and arrests for possession of misdemeanor amounts of cannabis.
- Eliminates citations for paraphernalia.
- Prevents police from using the “smell test” to stop and frisk for pot possession.
- Prevents the city from paying for THC testing of substances thought to contain cannabis.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts to get council members to pass an ordinance like this themselves, Denton residents joined together earlier this year to collect 3,000 signatures to get it on the November 2022 ballot. Through this ballot initiative, we the people, not council, will be the deciding body to decriminalize cannabis in Denton.
We gathered signatures everywhere: the courthouse lawn, parking lots, Republican and Democratic polling locations, churches, bars, concert venues — wherever people were present, we wanted to share our vision of a better, fairer, freer Denton. We left no one behind and included everyone in the conversation. Most Dentonites, no matter their ideology, were eager to sign our petition.
And the polls would agree. A May 2022 poll from The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler shows that up to 83% of Texans support some form of cannabis decriminalization — 83%! Our state and nation are divided on so many issues. Elected officials often seem to spend their time pitting voters against one another, rather than uniting over common interests that bring people together. Texans might not agree on much. But weed is an exception.
And that’s because the decriminalization of marijuana is a commonsense justice issue — it’s a matter of medical justice, racial justice and economic justice. We shouldn’t be penalizing Texans for using a medication that dramatically improves their quality of life. We shouldn’t be putting people in jail, disproportionately Black and brown residents, for possessing cannabis. And we sure as hell don’t need to continue down the path of government overreach — particularly for a plant that is safer than most over-the-counter drugs and alcohol.
When City Council holds its public hearing on July 19, it will be up to the council to honor petitioners’ wishes to allow the people of Denton to vote on the ordinance during the November midterm elections. Make your voice heard. Send a letter to your council members and attend the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Remind the City Council that we the people have the power to make real progress. We the people have the last word.
City Council members have had ample opportunity to decriminalize cannabis over the years. They have not. My message to our elected officials is clear: Please step aside, stop blocking progress and allow the voters to make this decision for ourselves.
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