LOCKHART, Texas – The Lockhart City Council addressed their controversial decision to go against the majority vote on marijuana decriminalization after residents approved Proposition A in the November election.
A meeting was held on Thursday (1/23) night at the Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, that included public testimony, legal explanations from the city attorney, and council members’ viewpoints.
What is the Lockhart Freedom Act?
The backstory:
Proposition A, also known as the Lockhart Freedom Act, is expected to help keep people out of jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
Decriminalization would apply to people caught with four ounces or fewer of marijuana.
Voters passed it on the November ballot, with 68% voting yes, but the Lockhart City Council acknowledged and disregarded that.
Council members ruled four to three not to enact it in December.
Under Texas law, misdemeanor marijuana possession is for those with fewer than four ounces.
Marijuana decriminalization in Lockhart
The other side:
Ahead of the scheduled meeting, the Caldwell/Hays Examiner, a non-profit monthly publication based in Lockhart, organized a pizza protest.
They handed out free pizza, and the edible pie charts represented the 68% of voters who chose to pass the Lockhart Freedom Act.
“There is a ripple effect of impacts that having a charge on your record can lead to and so stopping the criminalization of a plant that again, over half the states in our country have already decriminalized,” said Sam Benavides, Managing Editor at the Caldwell/Hays Examiner, in a previous interview with FOX 7 Austin. “It’s just common sense.”
What they’re saying:
“I voted for this,” said a council member. “I will continue to do so. Having said that, I also realize the problems with enforcing that with our police department.”
Catina Voellinger is the Executive Director of Ground Game Texas and said, “Everything passed, and then they went behind closed doors, and then they came back out, and a council member flipped their decision, and they decided not to implement citing things that are not factual.”
City Attorney Bradford Bullock fears the city could be sued. “We don’t know whether or not this can be enforced or it can’t be enforced,” said Bullock. “It just is an open-ended question.”
Proposition A court battle?
What’s next:
But after hearing from the people on Thursday night, it seems the council had a change of heart, as the community told them they wanted their day in court.
“We haven’t even gone by what the people voted for; I mean, we just want our day in court, I guess is what the community is saying.”
One council member was absent from the Thursday discussion due to a family death. The meeting ended with the members deciding to revote once they have an entire board.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits against other cities, including Austin, after they passed similar measures, but a Travis County judge dismissed those suits.
The Source: Information from reporter Katie Pratt and previous reporting.
The Lockhart City Council addressed their controversial decision to go against the majority vote on marijuana decriminalization after residents approved Proposition A in the November election. Read More
