LOCKHART, Texas – A nonprofit organization is speaking out after residents in Lockhart voted in favor of eliminating the penalty for low level marijuana possession.
City council members voted against the decision.
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The backstory:
On Tuesday night, the Lockhart Freedom Act was placed on the city council’s agenda to determine the future of marijuana laws in the city.
The majority of the council members chose to keep the laws the same, concerned about the possibility of a lawsuit.
The city attorney was present at the meeting and provided legal guidance to the council members ahead of the vote.
The other side:
“To say that we’re contemplating not enforcing something that 68% of the voters voted for because we’re afraid of a lawsuit from our rogue attorney general. It’s just a shame, especially when those lawsuits have been thrown out in Travis County. They’ve been thrown out in Hays County,” says spokesperson for Ground Game Texas Amy Camp.
The nonprofit organization Ground Game Texas says before the Lockhart Freedom Act was placed on the ballot as Proposition A, extensive research was done.
“When we were writing the language of the ballot initiative, we had lawyers look over it. These ballot initiatives are not something that we do lightly, they’re designed to go into effect,” says Camp.
“The council is not taking this vote seriously. And if they’re not enforcing the provisions of the Freedom Act, they are ignoring the vote. And I think that that would be incredibly unfortunate,” says Camp.
Ground Game Texas says they will continue to work toward lowering the penalty for low level marijuana possession in Lockhart.
“The criminalization of cannabis has severe consequences, and they’re disproportionately felt by Texans of color. They’re disproportionately felt by people who are of lower income. Many people came out to city council to talk about their own experiences being criminalized because of marijuana possession. So these are real lives that are being affected,” says Camp.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Tan Radford
A nonprofit organization is speaking out after residents in Lockhart voted in favor of eliminating the penalty for low level marijuana possession. Read More
