Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local municipalities have been forced to stage their weekly meeting via remote teleconference or through Zoom meetings. That didn’t stop two dedicated North Texas advocates from jumping into the fray of cannabis reform.
On Tuesday July 14th, Lisa Sewell (Fort Worth) and Robert Head (Carrollton) presented a cite and release proposal to the Hurst City Council, a suburb in Tarrant County. Sewell began by addressing costs for the city related to shrinking budgets, the racial disparity of marijuana arrests and the impact it can have on minority communities, as well as testing issues regarding legal hemp.
Robert Head spoke on behalf of the veteran community, explaining how cannabis is a life saver for many veterans who are plagued by PTSD, depression and an overprescribing of pharmaceutical drugs.
“A lot of veterans are switching from the pills given to them by the VA to marijuana,”Head explained. “They don’t want to be seen as bad guys or breaking the law, and this option to divert arrests would provide a great security for those that choose that option.”
Sewell took over again mentioning HB2391, a law passed by the 80th Texas Legislature and signed by then Governor Rick Perry in 2007. This law allows local municipalities to cite citizens for certain misdemeanor offenses (marijuana being one of them), and issuing a court summons to address the violation.
“This can be utilized to save taxpayer money and clear up jail space,” Sewell said.
She finished by citing examples of other Texas cities that have successfully implemented cite and release, like Harris County and Dallas County. Austin has stopped arrests and citations altogether. In fact, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price recently presented a set of proposals for police reform, including diverting arrests for nonviolent offenses such as low-level marijuana possession.
It is encouraging to see the passion for changing outdated marijuana laws in Texas still alive. Even during a pandemic, advocates are dedicated to making the change.