The Denton City Council voted unanimously this week to put a measure on the ballot in November to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Supporters of the proposal gathered thousands of signatures on a petition to trigger the election.
"The rules say if a citizen puts forth the effort and gets the petition, gets the signatures they need - then it goes to the City Secretary. She validates those, it comes to us, we order the election - it goes forward," said Mayor Gerard Hudspeth. He said he did not personally support the decriminalization plan, it would be up to the citizens to decide. "The citizens are at the top of the organization chart in the city, and they deserve to be heard at every turn," he said.
The measure would ban the Denton Police Department from issuing citations or making arrests for the possession of misdemeanor amounts of marijuana - with some exceptions. It would also block police officers from using the odor of marijuana as the basis for a search and would prevent city funds from being used to test items for their THC content.
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth said during this week's City Council meeting he personally did not think the ordinance would be enforceable due to conflicts with state law. Voters in the City of Austin approved a similar measure earlier this year.
While two other members of the City Council also voiced concerns about the measure, some on the Council supported it.
"My hope is that when this passes in November, it will signal to elected officials up and down the ballot about the changing attitudes all across this community," said Council Member Brandon Chase McGee.
"It will signal to folks that this is what people want. Public policy and the enforcement of public policy will also be influenced, shifted and moved forward to reflect the changing attitudes of Texans and folks in this community."
The measure will be on the ballot in Denton on November 8th.
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