San Marcos voters: Decriminalize marijuana

San Marcos will join the growing list of Texas cities that are decriminalizing low-level marijuana offenses. With about two-thirds of precincts reporting late Tuesday, more than 80 percent of voters approved Proposition A, unofficially titled the “reeferendum.” The text of the referendum reads: “An ordinance to eliminate low-level marijuana enforcement.” Proposition A was a joint effort by San Marcos social justice group Mano Amiga and Ground Game Texas, a voter engagement group. The measure will decriminalize possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana in the city. The proposed ordinance will end citations and arrests for misdemeanor marijuana possession, prohibit San Marcos police officers from citing “odor of marijuana” as probable cause for search or seizure, and prohibit the use of city funds for THC-concentration testing, among other things.

Mano Amiga and Ground Game began signing up and mobilizing voters in January, including holding a kickoff event at Texas State University, to get the 4,400 signatures required to get the initiative on the November ballot. They succeeded in getting all necessary signatures in June. Videos posted to social media Tuesday show long lines of voters at Texas State waiting to cast their ballots. Sam Benavides, communications director with Mano Amiga, said the group connected with more than 11,000 residents while trying to get the measure on the ballot, and knew it was a popular issue among voters. “So many people would tell us about their either direct or indirect experience with the criminalization of marijuana and how it harmed themselves or a loved one, so at this point it’s just common sense” to enact meaningful marijuana legislation, Benavides said. The San Marcos police union sent out mailers urging people to vote against Proposition A, a move that Benavides said shows how out of touch the union is with everyday people. She said she hopes the new ordinance will help “fundamentally reassess how we treat drug possession in Hays County.”